The Shade Queen
by WaterMonkey
Summary: (Sequel) "It's funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different." Daagana has settled into her new life as an advisor of the Kazekage and even with the Chuunin Exams fast approaching, life has been routine. But even amidst the peace, she can't help but feel that something is missing, until a stranger appears.
1. Life As We Know It

**_Chapter 1_**

"Crap…" I sighed. "He said it would be right below…Ah! Found it!" A stack of papers went cascading to the floor as I pulled the bottom most folder out from under the rest. I groaned out loud. Did the previous Kazekage not believe in filing cabinets? Did Baki make some other poor pawn do this before I came along? _'Daagana, do this. Daagana, do that.'_ Annoyed, I didn't bother with the pile of papers on the floor, I just grabbed the box and file I needed and shut the door behind me with a slam.

"Good morning, Daagana-san." A woman said as she passed me in the hall. We bowed happily to each other on our way.

"Hey, Gana!" A Chuunin waved as he zoomed past me, probably late for a meeting.

"How are we this morning, Gana-sama?" Another woman came up behind me and as she passed, she pinched my butt cheek. I screeched and dropped my box as she laughed and dashed away.

"I will get you for that, Ai!" I hollered and begrudgingly began to pick up my papers once more.

"You dropped your things…again?" I looked up at the white robe of the Kazekage.

"Honestly, Gaara, you should really try to hide your surprise." I laughed. "I know it shocks you that I'm still so clumsy, two years later." I smiled up at his usual blank face. Without moving, his sand began to help me pick up papers. He folded them into a stack and gently placed them in my hands as I sighed. Sandy documents were better than wet ones, I guess. "Thank you. Now," I said as I stood. "Aren't you supposed to be signing things?"

* * *

"I don't know…there's nothing special about her. Her clones are pitiful." Hiniku munched on a potato chip and then annoyed, shook the crumbs out of her long blond hair. We laid prone on the flat rooftop of the newly built academy building, it was made out of smooth sand and still smelled like plaster and progress. The roof offered the best spot for spying, as it would seem, and we bellied up to the lip of the gable to watch. Out beyond was the Genin training ground, where a certain Genin was practicing with her Johyo.

"She _does_ seem to handle her weapon well." I shrugged, trying to find at least one good thing to say about her.

"Yeah, only thanks to Gaara." Hiniku said stubbornly and smashed the potato chip bag into a ball, clearly done with it.

"I think if Gaara even picked up a Johyo, he honestly wouldn't know the first thing to do with it." I mused and watched Matsuri swing the dart and chain over her head, maneuver it around her body, and then kick it out to smash a target. It was all very expertly done and it made me want to learn.

"Gaara was the one who taught her, and besides, it can't be that hard if the Kidnap Queen can do it." Hiniku yawned.

"Ugh!" I threw my hands in the air. "Hiniku! You know how guilty I still feel about that!"

"Oh, yes! Because it was all your fault she got herself kidnapped by creepy celestial creepers. _Your_ fault."

"Those men only took her because—"

"Because you weren't around to get got. Yes, I know. I was there." I sighed at Hiniku as she tossed her potato bag ball over her shoulder like I wouldn't notice. Almost a year and a half ago, Matsuri had been kidnapped by the Four Celestial Symbols Men in an attempt to lure Gaara out of Suna and steal Shukaku. Gaara and Naruto defeated them easily, but in the end, we learned that Matsuri had not been the original target. _I was_. But in my absence, she was a victim of opportunity. I had always cringed at the thought of what could have happened had I not gone to Konoha for the week to study under Nara Shikaku. And even though I went with the rescue team to save her, I still felt guilty. Guilty…and a little bit jealous. No matter what I did or thought though, the envy never went away. They had taken Matsuri because they knew she was important to Gaara. As his student, I always reminded myself, but soured. I guess the real reason I was resentful of her was because I grew up fearing Gaara…and she didn't. All she knew was that Gaara was the Kazekage, the greatest Shinobi in the Wind Country, not the demon that I had grown up fearing as a child.

"Anyway Gana, I gotta go. I'm meeting Kanman and Sho at the administration building. Some of us have to actually work for our rank." She pulled down her bottom eyelid and gave me a stink face.

"At least I won't be a Genin forever!" I shouted after her, "and pick that up!" but she just stuck her tongue out at me as she jumped off the roof. I shook my head after her but turned back to stay a little longer and watch Matsuri throw her sting around. By a very hush-hush order from the Kazekage, I had been promoted to Chuunin without passing the Chuunin exam. It was approved by the Suna council only because I couldn't be a Genin and work in the admin building, and none of those crotchety old men wanted to push pencils. Hiniku took it in stride, claiming that cheating was apparently the only way I would beat her, and we both laughed.

At the beginning of the New Year, life was normal, although, things had sure changed a lot in the past two years. I begrudgingly picked up Hiniku's trash and headed home, smiling at the thought. Yes, the mansion was home now. Home with Kankurou who had been recently promoted to Captain of the village Sentry and Gaara's personal body guard. Home with Temari, who unfortunately wasn't there all that often now that she was Suna's ambassador to Konoha. Home with Gaara, who was the pride of the Hidden Sand village and my boyfriend. _Oooh, that's such a silly word_. I grinned to myself as I entered the giant house and slipped out of my shoes. The maid and I bowed to each other as she quickly picked up after me and disappeared.

I was surprised to find Gaara sitting in the kitchen sipping tea and staring at his cactus. He wasn't usually home this time of day. Most of the time he holed himself up in his office long after dark. His bed never called to him the way mine did to me.

I smiled and walked over to wrap my arms around his neck.

"You know if you stare at it long enough, it sprouts legs." Gaara squinted up at me with a look that said he wasn't really sure if I was lying or not. I laughed and planted a kiss on the crown of his head. "Do you want some dinner?" I asked as I pranced over to the cabinet and rummaged around for something to eat. "I could make us some ochezuke, or maybe curry—"

"Daagana…" The fact that he said it in his Kage voice made me pause on the jar of Miso I was eyeing. I pulled myself out of the pantry and looked at him. He was holding up a very official looking scroll and waving it in my general direction without looking at me. Bad sign. Sluggishly, I swallowed the lump in my throat that always lodged itself whenever Gaara had this face. It was not his happy face.

"Yes?" I asked, going over and taking it from him. After I released the binding and spread it out on the table, Gaara silently took a sip of his tea and then poured me a cup. The words bled as I read through them: _Chuunin, Akatsuki, Konohagakure, Jinchūriki, Alliance—_

I mentally and physically groaned, and Gaara cocked an eyebrow at my expression. "Have you told Temari or Kankurou?" I asked.

"No…you are the first." He muttered, spinning the tea in his cup.

"And Tsunade came up with this?" I grumbled, rubbing my forehead forlornly. He nodded. "Well, it's…ambitious." I sighed finally.

"You think it's a bad idea?" Gaara fingered his teacup and I gave him a hard look.

"I think it is risky calling them out like this. The Akatsuki are dangerous. They already tried to take Naruto, what if they use this Chuunin exam as an opening to come for you?" He didn't say anything, just took a sip of tea.

That wasn't what this was about then.

Tsunade-sama may have been hoping to bring Akatsuki out of hiding, but Gaara had other motives, like exposing those who were staging a coup d'état against him. I sighed and rolled up the scroll. "This is about Fugi then, isn't it?" Instead of answering, Gaara avoided the question by getting up to refill the kettle with hot water. I got up after him, exasperated. "Gaara—"

"I have changed." The tea pot clanked against the counter with a slam that announced the statement's finality. "He will see it. I will make him see it." Gently, I took hold of Gaara and pulled him into a hug, if only to save the tea pot.

"He would be blind not to." I muttered into his shoulder, then I reached up and took his face into my hands, resting our foreheads against each other. "A joint Chuunin exam is a bold idea, but it will show the world that we are strong, we have allies, and our leader is confident in his people."

"Even when he is not confident in himself?" He muttered, and I sighed.

"Save you?"

"Save me." He nodded. This was our thing, our silent reassurance. He would say it to me, or I to him, and it was a quiet confession that we could use some help without actually asking for it.

* * *

"Will you stop bouncing?" Hiniku scolded me as we marched through the desert the next morning.

"No!" I smiled. "I can't wait for you to see it!" I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "It's the most beautiful place you will ever see and everyone there is unbelievably nice. You have to meet TenTen, you'll love her—"

"Gana…you're gonna kill her." Kanman tried to ease me off of his girlfriend, who I had shaken into oblivion.

Gaara, Kankurou, and I were being accompanied by Hiniku's team of Genin to Konoha to meet with Lady Tsunade about the joint Chuunin exams we were planning to host together. It only happened after some serious begging to Baki and the smallest comment from Kankurou about having more man power.

"Keep up, you four." Kankurou ordered from the front of the group. He and Gaara were walking in the front with the rest of us following behind, even though I had made this trip more than twenty times. Hiniku's team consisted of: herself, Kanman, the shy red head, and Sho, a silent boy with green eyes. When we made camp for the night, I told them stories of my friends in Konoha, with Kankurou's commentary butted in every five seconds. Hiniku was more interested in meeting the stronger Kunoichi, like TenTen and Sakura, than she was in meeting Hinata. And of course, Kanman only ever agreed with Hiniku. Sho still didn't speak, though I could tell he was listening intently to the stories about Neji and Shikamaru. Many people in Suna had met Nara Shikamaru, but I had met the rest of his family and I told them all the funny stories about Temari's crush on him, and Yoshino's constant oppression of her husband and son.

Finally, after everyone had gone to sleep, I sat up with Gaara and stared at the stars. It was like the good old days when I stayed up with him so he wouldn't have to wait out the dark night alone. My head was resting on his shoulder and his arm was slung around me casually. I was trying really hard not to fall asleep…but failing.

"Daagana." Gaara whispered.

"Hmm?" I slurred.

"Look." I opened my eyes and looked up just in time to see a shooting star. It careened through the dark sky, leaving a trail of dreams in its wake.

"Make a wish." I told him.

"I wish for this to go well." Gaara nodded to himself, but I snorted.

"That's a horrible wish, Gaara." I nestled into him more.

"But I do need it to go well."

"Of course it will go well. Stop worrying. It's nothing to lose sleep over." He didn't flinch at my tactless nature anymore and paused just long enough to say,

"You are my favorite reason to lose sleep."

* * *

It was a whole new world the minute we crossed over into the River Country. Hiniku, Kanman, and Sho had never stepped outside of their village, let alone the Wind Country, and the bountiful scenery of the Land of Rivers was blowing their minds.

"What are those?!" Kanman cried and pointed at a tall oak tree. It was like a strange new creature had been born into their universe and they circled and studied it for a solid ten minutes. Kankurou just stood off to the side and face palmed over and over, repeating to himself how this was a terrible mistake.

"These are trees. They are like the cacti of the desert." Gaara told them slowly, they drank up every word. Sometimes I had to remind myself that Gaara was, in fact, a teacher now. While not many did, there were some students who loved to learn from him. And why not? Gaara had everything: experience, power, strategic insight. He was an exemplary Shinobi and I was proud of him.

"Some of these trees are in your medical books, Hiniku." I chimed in. "Some species' bark is medicinal while others have roots that are poisonous. There are hundreds of different kinds." Sho quietly placed his hand on the trunk of the biggest tree and stroked it like it was something precious. It was the only thing that kept Kankurou from shoving his head into the ground. I saw him watch Sho with a keen interest and I wondered if maybe Kankurou knew any Wood Style Jutsu, and if maybe Sho would be willing to learn.

We ended up spending the night just past the border into the Fire Country, because the Genin's lack of experience with tree jumping made things progress slowly. I tried to help Hiniku with focusing the Chakra into her feet, but she would have none of my coaching. Instead she barked the things I had said at Kanman, pretending she had it down perfect…when, in reality, Sho was the only one succeeding.

After long hours of practice, we were eventually able to fly through the trees in quick succession. Despite the slow going yesterday, we made it all the way to Konoha in a timely manner. Once we crossed over into the Hidden Village territory, we dropped down and opted to take the road in on foot. I couldn't keep still and fidgeted as we neared the massive gate. It had been more than a few months since I had been back and I just knew TenTen was going to give me an ear full.

Finally, the gates came into view and Hiniku gasped, not because of the gates themselves, but because of the color. Suna was my home and I loved it, but…Suna was bland. If Konoha was anything, it was vibrant, with its massive green doors and red characters telling us we had arrived. A little past the gates stood my favorite Kunoichi in the world who had her hand on her hip, smirking like we had kept her waiting.

"Temari!" I cried and ran to tackle her in a hug. She laughed and caught me like this was an everyday occurrence. Beside her stood a very bored looking Shikamaru whom I also hugged. He smiled small as he handed me a scroll with my name on it.

"From the woman." He muttered and went to address the others. He bowed respectfully to Gaara as I pulled the scroll open. It was from Yoshino, Shikamaru's mother. _The woman_. The nerve of that boy.

"Whose it from?" Hiniku peeked over my shoulder.

"The Nara clan. Yoshino has invited us for dinner." I showed Gaara the scroll and he nodded at it, but continued to speak with Shikamaru about the meeting they were preparing for. He was in full Kage mode and I simpered knowingly. He was going to be wound tighter than a coil until after this meeting with Tsunade-sama.

The village looked exactly as I remembered it, although it felt like they expanded a block or neighborhood every week! Konoha was certainly prospering in the peace, and it made me question Tsunade-sama's wisdom to want to disrupt it. When we arrived at the admin building, Shikamaru led us to the waiting area where they were staging the conference. The building was open air, and Sho hopped up on to the railing and shielded his eyes, catching the best view of the village.

"And now for the troublesome part," Shikamaru droned and turned to me. As a group, we stood just outside the conference room. Inside I could see a long table with grand old chairs on either side. It occurred to me that there was no _head_ chair, as it was a meeting of leaders, but I didn't really know who else was going to be in attendance. Tsunade-sama had advisors, I guess? "Gana, I know it's a drag, but you guys can't sit in on the meeting." I was a little taken aback, but at the same time, I hadn't really imagined myself sitting in anyway. In the corner of my eye, I saw Gaara about to insist on my attendance but I put a palliative hand on his chest.

"Of course. Formalities, I get it." I shrugged indifferently. Temari let out a relieved breath and slapped a hand on Gaara's shoulder.

"No worries, little brother. Daagana knows her way around Konoha just fine. I'm sure we'll find her at Ichiraku's after the meeting." And then she turned to me with that terrifying gleam in her eye. "Won't we, Gana?" Everyone shrank under her petrifying stare…and then as though you'd flipped a switch, she marched the three Sand-nin into the conference room, dragging a pitiful Shikamaru behind her.

As Hiniku's team and I were about to exit the admin building, Tsunade-sama came sweeping down from her upper level office. When she spotted me, her face lit up.

"Daagana!" She beamed at us.

"Lady Hokage!" I bowed to her and motioned for the others to do the same. Hiniku's eyes grew to the size of gong plates when she saw the Kage. Hiniku had always been used to men being in power and I knew that while she knew that Tsunade was a female, actually seeing the woman who ran the Leaf Village in person astounded her.

"It's been quite a little while." Tsunade put a hand on her hip and studied me. Sakura and Shizune stood behind her and when I smiled at them, Sakura winked at me.

"Yes ma'am. It's been busy around Suna these last few months. Gaara has his hands full."

"It's nothing he can't handle." She dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "Sakura," She said as she turned to go into the conference room. "Take the afternoon off with our allies."

It didn't take long for Sakura to find something for us to do. Hiniku was extremely interested in Sakura's medical Jutsu and Tsunade-sama's tutelage; so she took us to the hospital where she and Hiniku stayed for quite a while, talking herbs and technique. We left the two there and I took the boys to Ichiraku's, something a little more their speed. Teuchi beamed as I walked in and started preparing me a bowl before I even sat down. After a moment, he placed before me three plates: One straw mat with beautiful wheat noodles, one bowl with what I thought was a shoyu sauce, and one plate with the best toppings. A deconstructed ramen bowl.

"What's this, grandpa?" I asked as I split my chopsticks. The boys sat on either side, staring at the masterpiece.

"Do you have this at your place, Gana?" Kanman asked and reached for a blade of dried seaweed, but I smacked his hand.

" _Hush_."

"It's a new sauce I've been working on. Dip your noodles in and tell me what you think." I did as instructed and dredged a mouthful of noodles through the broth. It was thicker than usual and had an oily film about it. As I put it in my mouth and slurped, I stiffened. Oh my god, this was so hot hot HOT. I began practically seizing as Ayame poured me a glass of water and I downed it in one gulp. Teuchi thought this was the funniest thing he'd ever seen as he laughed and laughed at me.

"What did you do to her?" Kanman cried and fanned my face with a napkin. "Hiniku's gonna kill me if I let her die!"

"Wha—…What…" I couldn't even form words as I tried to understand what the hell just happened.

"Had a fella come in here complaining it wasn't hot enough, so I took your advice and ground the chili pepper into an oil to add into the miso."

"Oh god…" I rasped as the fire subsided. "Don't ever take my advice again."

"I promise it wasn't me." A familiar voice said and Umino Iruka ducked under the noren. I smiled at him, still a little worse for wear. "If it makes you feel any better, he got me with it too." I shook his hand as he patted me on the shoulder.

"Kanman, Sho, this is Iruka-sensei." Kanman greeted him enthusiastically and Sho in his usual calm way. He reminded me of Gaara in his simplicity. I had never heard his voice, but he was also a full two years younger than the rest of us. He had graduated his academy class before anyone else. I had a thought. "Iruka," The man smiled at me. "Do you know any wood release Jutsu?"

And that was how I got rid of the boys.


	2. Sanguineness

**_Chapter 2_**

Back at the admin building, Gaara and his siblings sat across from Tsunade, the village elders, and a very insignificant Shikamaru. Shizune handed Gaara a transcript from the last Chuunin exams, explaining the data and statistics on each of the previous 153 applicants.

"—and of course you know the reason behind the interruption of the final round and its chronology better than anyone." She said. Gaara didn't think she was trying to be impolite, but Tsunade cleared her throat to stop Shizune from saying anymore.

"Due to the suspension of the last Chuunin exams, The Hidden Leaf would like to sponsor a combined Chuunin exam." Tsunade announced. This was nothing new. It was what she had written in her letter. Temari crossed her arms.

"Thanks in part to Konoha's cooperation, the situation in Suna has stabilized during the last two years. In particular, our training curriculum has been very successful. We have developed more Genin who are qualified to take the Chuunin exams than we ever have in the past."

"Then you have no objection to our sponsoring the event?" Tsunade asked. This time Kankurou answered and asked what each of the siblings was wondering.

"Before that Lady Hokage, what is your true motive?"

"True motive?" Tsunade squinted at him.

"I mean the timing of this. Why hold the Chuunin exams now? If the reason is lack of personnel, you could have done this sooner." The Hidden Leaf elders glared at the puppet man, but Tsunade sighed.

"Alright, I'll be honest. The first reason is to gauge the reactions of each of the villages within the Five Great Nations; each, who on the surface, pretend to be at peace. Their response to having a combined Chuunin exam will reveal their true feelings. The second reason is to investigate the Akatsuki's movements. It is said that they seek the tailed beast from every village, but they've been awfully quiet these past two years."

"You want to use the Chuunin exams to create an opportunity to lure out the Akatsuki?" Kankurou asked.

"Yes," Tsunade folded her hands. "The Akatsuki have probably grown impatient and are ready to make a move." Gaara and Temari shared a look as Kankurou said,

"This is a risky—" But before he could echo Daagana's words, Gaara said,

"Hold on." Everyone turned to the youngest one in the room and Gaara stood to address them.

* * *

"Oh, where is Daagana? I told her to meet us here." Temari said as she ducked back under the noren at Ichiraku's.

"She probably doesn't think you're scary any more, Temari." Shikamaru mused at his own risk. "Besides, my mother invited the delegation for dinner remember? The troublesome woman. Daagana and Yoshino are all buddy-buddy. She's probably at my house eating Choji's stash of potato chips." On the way there, everyone was quiet. Temari and Kankurou were troubled at Gaara's plans for the Chuunin exam. In the end, the siblings and the slacker did indeed find their other teammates at the Nara compound. Daagana, in particular, laughing so hard she snorted something out of her nose.

After I had shed all of my teammates, I had quickly made my way to the Nara clan main house to greet Yoshino. She was a fair woman for a housewife, but could still kill you with a single look. I would always sit with her when I came to train with Shikaku or another Nara elder. It was their clan who had taken me under their wing and taught me to control the _black_ and also was my cover story for anyone looking to finish what Giia had started.

"Gaara!" I smiled as my sand nin entered. Yoshino had just finished telling a story about Choji and Shikamaru as little boys, playing in her makeup, trying to cover up Choji's cheek circles. I was still trying to wipe my eyes from laughing so much, but Gaara did not look amused. Instead he simply shook his head and headed back out the door. I stood up to follow him but Kankurou waved me back. I looked at Temari and Shikamaru who shrugged. They couldn't tell me why anyway, it was classified, so I sank back down in my seat. I guess wishing on that star had not made it any better.

For dinner, Yoshino prepared for us: Saba Shioyaki (grilled mackerel), as a main dish, Nikujaga (meat and potato stew), and Sunomono (cucumber salad) as side dishes. Miso soup and brown rice were also served, along with a curious array of greens Yoshino said she had picked from their meadow. After dinner, Temari and Shikamaru disappeared, probably to make out Hiniku said, and we sipped tea and told each other about our days.

"And then Sakura showed me some of the operating rooms. Have you seen them? There are symbols all over the floor and on linens and on the medical tools. They're special characters used to help the medical nin's Jutsu work more effectively by having something to focus their chakra on. It's fascinating!" Hiniku told us.

"You know," Yoshino said happily, "most of the herbs used for medical Jutsus come from our meadow and garden."

"Oh wow!"

"…and then Iruka sensei showed Sho how to do this crazy fire Jutsu where you hold your finger up to your mouth like this, and Sho almost burnt down their academy!" Kanman exclaimed, while Sho grinned madly. Apparently the boys had spent the afternoon with Iruka and learned plenty of new Jutsu to terrify their own village with.

I spun my finger around the rim of my third cup of tea, just a little bit worried about the brothers that had left a few hours before. I didn't want to entertain the thought that the meeting hadn't gone well. Gaara needed this plan to work, but I knew his siblings felt the same way I did…we didn't like it.

The next morning, they went back to the meeting with Tsunade, and I took the opportunity to meet with Nara Ensui to continue my training. Ensui was a typical Nara man, lazy and tired of everything. But when he did manage to move around, it was exciting watching him manipulate his shadow so expertly. While our powers were not the same and didn't even handle the same, it gave me a small sense of comfort that we _looked_ the same; his shadows, my black. It was a mock fight, and the only rule was that whatever _black_ I produced had to look like a shadow, therefore it could not leave the ground. It proved rather difficult with the terrain of water and trees, and Ensui's freaking intellect. The entire Nara clan was made up of geniuses and it was infuriating watching him think ten steps ahead of me. If I landed here, he would use this technique, but if I landed there, he would adjust and use that technique. I was always beat, no matter what I did, but the thrill was in the effort. Also, fighting someone who knows every move you will make prompts you to think about things differently, try to surprise your enemy while surprising yourself. Just as I thought I had the upper hand (which is a joke in itself because I never had the upper hand), Hiniku came waltzing through the trees with a triumphant grin on her face. I was attacking Ensui from above, and when I saw her, I faltered with my Kunai for a fraction of a second, and instantly, the man had me wrapped up in a shadow so tight, suspended above his head.

"Still getting distracted." He mumbled, not even moving.

"You broke the rule!" I cried as I struggled, but he just shrugged.

"The rule is for you, not for me." He said. Hiniku skipped over and smiled up at me.

"You told me to come get you when they got out of the meeting. It looks like it went a lot better than yesterday." She said and gave us a thumbs up. I immediately forgot about the upper hand that I never actually had, and turned my attention to the man.

"Ensui."

"Yes, lady?" He said lazily.

"I need down please. I have a Kage to attend to."

"And you haven't figured out how to escape?" He chuckled, but I smiled angrily.

"I don't think I will ever figure out how." As I said it, I outlined my body in _black_ , snuggly between my skin and his shadows, then I expanded it out a good five inches. After I made the room, I slipped easily out of his clutch and landed beside Hiniku. "Not without cheating at least." I laughed and we scampered off. Ensui just sat back and crossed his legs for a nap.

We rushed back to the admin building where Gaara, Temari and Kankurou were talking with Shikamaru.

"I assume you beat Ensui into the ground?" Shikamaru smirked at me.

"Of course." I lied and laughed. Gaara looked lighter and the air around them was not as thick as it was yesterday. "All is well?" I asked as he greeted me, and he nodded. All was well.

"Awwww! Do we have to leave already?" Hiniku whined as we made our way to the gates. Although the sun was low in the sky, we were making our departure for Suna.

"We have a lot of work to do and we can't be delayed." Kankurou told her, already annoyed and dreading this return trip. Shikamaru parted with us at the entrance as we passed through the massive gates. For the sake of thoroughness, Temari turned back and said,

"Call us if things get too dangerous! We'll come save you!"

It took us the usual three days to get back to the Hidden Sand and I was exhausted by the time I made it back to my desk at the admin building. Gaara had sent word ahead of us relaying the news and his desires for our portion of the exams. It had been decided that Phase I would be held in Konoha, which consisted of the written test, and Phase II and III would be held in Suna, which were the survival and match ups. Gaara had recommended the Demon Desert as the sight for Phase II and I sent a prayer to heaven, thanking them I didn't have to take the tests, and then paling when I remembered Hiniku did. And Matsuri too. The Demon Desert had claimed hundreds of lives and I was worried it would claim them too.

Gaara was in the zone in his office and I just casually laid my head down on my desk, which was stationed right outside, and passed out. Now, to prepare for the Chuunin exams, Temari would have to spend a lot of time in Konoha so I would be the one to take on more of her responsibilities in the administration, mainly acting as Gaara's secretary. I didn't mind, and wouldn't mind, even if it meant I didn't get to spend as much time at the ramen shop. Already there were some days when Gaara was feeling bold and he would slip me a kiss between signing papers or leave a sand rose on my desk when I would come back from another office. It was worth the stiff neck and long hours. And luckily, Ojiisan wouldn't be shorthanded anymore. Hiniku and Kanman were steadily dating, and it made Ojiisan wrinkle faster, but with Hiniku becoming a Shinobi, Ojiisan hired on a wonderful old lady named Etsu whom he took a shining too and it made Hiniku wrinkle _even faster_. But Etsu had become my Bachan, my pretend grandmother. I loved her and the way she praised almost anything I did, deserved or not. Whether it was making noodles, or offering to take the night shift so she could rest, or just sitting with Gaara at the shop, I was practically infallible to her, and it was the best feeling I had ever experienced. But when Etsu would turn around and smile at Ojiisan, my mind would start to wander…to my real grandparents. I had to have some, right? Technically? Giia never mentioned having any other family, or the other half of my biological make-up…She always made it seem like it was me and her against the world, no one else had ever been in the picture.

Since Giia never spoke of my father, I knew nothing about him, whether he was nice or mean, handsome or ugly, smart or dumb. Without any real facts, it was left to my imagination to conjure him. I had imagined a thousand different fathers at this point, each stronger and more perfect than the last. A long line of powerful men who would one day swoop down and take me someplace safe, where everyone was kind. But he never did show up, and there was no need for saving now. Everyone was already kind, but I still wondered. I still wished deep down in my secret heart of hearts that I would meet him one day, and that, had he known, he would have rescued me like I dreamt he would.

There was a gentle nudge on my shoulder and I awoke to Gaara and a paper stuck to my face. I quickly pull it off and fussed with my hair, trying to hide the fact that I had been drooling. How long was I asleep? But Gaara just silently laughed and pulled me up.

"Come on." He coaxed. It was well past midnight by the look of the sky as we climbed to the roof. The stars were twinkling as Gaara made a disk of sand for us to float home on. No way was he going to let me walk home alone half asleep, even if I had insisted. I fell asleep again on the way there and only woke up again when he laid me in bed. I caught his arm as he went to take off my shoes and tuck me under the covers.

"Stay a little while." The corner of his mouth perked up as he mused at my half-conscious state. Carefully he unstrapped the gourd on his back and set it against the well, then climbed in bed next to me. I weaseled my way into the crook of his arm, my nose brushing his dusty chest armor. It didn't matter that he was dirty, or that I was dirty, the bed was practically made of sand anyway. His fingers slid through my hair as he held me, and he whispered,

"Save you?"

"Mmm…save me." I mumbled and I was asleep in no time.

A big wet tongue slapping my face woke me. My usual alarm clock. I squealed and pushed Bejumaru off the bed before he could slobber on me anymore. The dog jumped back up easily and nudged me with his nose.

"You're gonna be late." He huffed and licked me again. I flailed and threw off the covers, knocking him off again in the process.

"Sorry!" I yelled as I panicked and ran around trying to get ready for the day. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

"The Lord said to let you sleep." Beju circled around on the bed and then lay down with a flop.

"You know he hates it when you call him that." I said as I nearly fell over trying to get my shoes on.

"It doesn't change who he is. You know Lady, you should really shower first." He sniffed in my general direction and made a gagging noise. I paused, the ninken was right, as usual.

"You know _I_ hate it when you call me that, right?" I bit back as I pulled my clothes off and ran for the tub.

"Doesn't change who you are either."

Bejumaru was my gift to Gaara on our first anniversary but he was more my assistant than Gaara's pet. I'd pleaded with Kiba for weeks beforehand trying to get him to give me one of the pups Kuromaru had fathered, and eventually Kiba's mother gave in and let us adopt the runt of the litter. Beju didn't seem like a runt though. Already he was up to my knees, able to walk on water and could sniff down just about anything. He was all different shades of brown and black, and when we took him out to the desert we would lose him he blended so well. Perhaps he _was_ the runt though, because of his melancholy disposition. I had never met a puppy before, but I assumed not all puppies enjoyed talking deep philosophy with the elders over smokes. Hiniku said puppies were supposed to be stupid happy, not so nonchalant. Beju was like a Nara, he would definitely rather take a nap than…well just about anything else. I was just waiting for the day when he uttered 'this is such a drag'. After I got the all clear in the scent category, we raced out of the mansion to the admin building. I wasn't too terribly late, but Gaara had definitely gotten a head start on everything. It was go time. We had exams to prepare for.


	3. The Will Reading

**_Chapter 3_**

Gaara's office was oval shaped with big windows facing the village entrance. His desk sat at the back, right in front of those windows. It was a big wooden thing he had inherited from the previous Kazekage, his father, and it dwarfed him when he sat behind it. But from all the piles of paper everywhere, no one could see him anyway. The rest of the room was furnished with typical living room décor: a bookshelf off to one side, a cabinet with pictures of the siblings, of Daagana and him, of his mother and Yashamaru, a faded blue couch with a coffee table and a potted cactus that was Gaara's current obsession. It was a big room and even with the furniture, it felt disjointed, but Gaara needed the space. He was a pacer. Of course he didn't find that out until he was trying to plan matters of state or dissolve situations between warring clans. There were some things he hadn't been counting on when he took his oath of office. Petty politics was one of them. So there was a permanent ware in the floor in front of his desk where he paced and paced and paced. And he was still pacing when Daagana and his beast came in. She smiled at him but didn't say anything as she unloaded a stack of papers from his desk and took it to the coffee table so she could work on them. Gaara and the ninken eyed each other for a moment before it jumped up on the couch beside Gana and went to sleep. After a few more minutes of pacing, Gaara had come to the decision of what to do about the two clans fighting over rights to a shrine in the mountains. Apparently the land had been contested for years and there was no peaceful solution to be found amongst all the bad blood, so Gaara decided to follow the example of the Tea Country: Hold a contest, and whoever wins would claim the land for the year. It seemed to work well enough for them, so Gaara sat down to write up the documents needed.

The two Shinobi sat in comfortable silence for a long time while they worked on the paperwork that was required to host a Chuunin exam. Everything was going to happen rather quickly once Tsunade-sama sent out the summons. Gaara had already received the written recommendations from the senseis and 27 Genin from Suna would take the exams. He glanced up at Daagana who had opted to sit on the floor so she could write easier, and breathed a sigh of relief. He was thankful at least that she would not be taking them. But Hiniku and Matsuri would, along with the rest of his students, and he found himself to be very worried. While Gaara was engrossed in his thoughts, debating on whether he should ask Baki for his advice, Kankurou kicked his office door open with a triumphant grin.

"Yo! Gaara! I scouted out some of those ruins in the demon desert like you asked. I ran into quite a nasty beast too." He said and winked over at Daagana. "Morning."

"What kind of beast?" She asked.

"Giant scorpion." Daagana shrugged, unimpressed. Gaara was fairly certain that she had come across many giant beasts during her time in the desert and one little scorpion wasn't very remarkable. "Oh and this!" Kankurou whipped out a much more horrifying object. The card was pink with hand-glued ribbon on the edges, and when Kankurou wafted it at him, the heavy scent of old lady perfume bombarded Gaara's nose. All across the front were characters of love and affection and when Kankurou opened it, multicolored glitter fell to the floor. Beju opened one lazy eye and then choked a little as the scent reached him. " _FANMAIL_! I found it on Gana's desk."

"Trash."

"Trash."

Both Gaara and Daagana pointed to the wastebasket at the end of the room. It was already overflowing with rainbow colored paper and frill and was a useful mark for target practice. Kankurou laughed as he threw the new addition to the pile.

"You guys better watch out! One of these days, some of Gaara's fan girls is going to try to take their rightful place!"

"I'd like to see them try." Daagana smirked as she continued to flip through her papers casually. Gaara felt a small sense of pride just thinking of it: Daagana against all of his fan girls. She would win of course. She was already in her rightful place, as his second. But back to the matter at hand…

"Does the site in the desert seem adequate?" Gaara asked.

"It will be a challenge, more difficult than the Forest of Death for sure. All the other Genin but our own won't be used to the shifting sands or the heat."

"Part of being a Chuunin is being prepared for any situation." Daagana said from the couch.

"Because you would know." Beju mumbled.

"Shut up!" She cried and push the dog off the cushions.

"I assume we're taking the scroll approach for Phase II like when we took the exam." Kankurou asked and Gaara nodded.

"What do you mean?" Daagana asked.

"Phase II is the survival portion. Each squad will be assigned a scroll, either heaven or earth, and the goal is to arrive at the base on day three with both scrolls. Those squads who don't acquire both will fail the exams." Gaara explained.

"That seems harsh." She mumbled.

"Don't forget that this is a competition Gana." Kankurou shrugged. "We can't all sleep our way to the top." He winked at her and dodged a pillow.

"Excuse me? Remind me, because I forget, when exactly were you a Chuunin? Oh that's right! You never were! You skipped it all together!" Gaara watched as Daagana tried to smother his brother and chuckled to himself. It was true, after returning from the exams two years ago, the sand siblings had played fast and loose with the ninja ranks. Kankurou and Temari went straight from Genin to jounin and Gaara, Genin to Kage. Daagana herself had never actually been a Genin, she had just been baptized by fire as a Chuunin without question. No one really bothered to bat an eye at the four of them anymore. Hiniku was the only one doing it right and Baki played favorites because of it.

Before Daagana could kill Kankurou, Gaara corralled them back to attention.

"If you could finish your exploration and write up your report, I will send it to Lady Tsunade for approval." The Kage said and focused back down on his papers. Daagana stuck her tongue out at Kankurou as he left, and he returned it with an equally horrid expression. They were so dumb…

I returned to my spot on the floor to keep filling out paperwork but there was a light knock on the door.

"Enter." Gaara ordered without looking up. The door opened to reveal Ai, my work place rival. In reality, we were actually very good friends, but the second we got to work, watch out. Let the prank flag fly. She saw me over on the couch and smiled a bit. It was common knowledge that if you didn't find me at my issued desk, I was in Gaara's office at my _second_ desk: the coffee table.

"Pardon the intrusion Lord Gaara. There is a gentleman who requests an audience."

"I am very busy right now, he will have to come back some other time." Gaara said. He'd been practicing his diligent speech ever since Temari had lectured him about being too soft spoken.

"Oh I'm sorry." Ai said, and Gaara paused. "The request is for Daagana."

It was unfortunate that I was not more surprised. People knew who I was, and sometimes they thought that if they couldn't catch the ear of the Kazekage, they could make me do it. Most often they were sorely disappointed and I dreaded it every time. I followed Ai out and down to the main corridor of the admin building. The upper levels were restricted to authorized personnel only, but only because of Gaara's horde of fangirls. Most people were allowed to come and go as they pleased but if they looked young, in love, and covered in glitter, they were stopped and questioned. There was a Shinobi stationed in the lobby singularly for this purpose. Ai talked excitedly about all the things she had done that day, the files, the hours until shift change, the sake stain on her official documents, but I was too busy preparing myself to turn someone down. I hated doing this. Usually the people who came to me for a short cut to Gaara were sleezy people and I had no trouble kicking them to the curb, but occasionally there would be a genuine person in need of help and I had to turn them away. It was the only rule I had placed against me: I was Gaara's secretary, not his advisor. Of course that never stopped me from telling Baki and making him do something about it, but initially, I had to put on a brave face, and I had to remain resolute.

But that was not the case with this man. Ai pointed him out to me at the entrance before skipping off to some other task. He wore a very traditional outfit, not suitable for the desert winds and he looked extremely uncomfortable as he kept adjusting his straw hat to shade him from the harsh sun. He wore no protector and carried a large parcel on his back. This man was not from Suna to be sure and when I approached, his eyes bulged as they met mine.

"My lady!" The man bowed before me. I cocked an eyebrow at him. His clothes were all wrong. In Suna people wore browns and reds and orange, but he was wearing all shades of pale blue and grey.

"There's no need for such formalities, sir. What can I do for you?" The man shifted on his feet uncomfortably.

"Perhaps there is a place we can speak… _privately_."

"Uhh…" Before I could answer, the sand between us began to swirl, lift, form, and I stifled a laugh as a Third Eye bloomed between the merchant man and myself. It swiveled around to look at me and I smiled, then it turned back around to stare at the man. He was in a state of shock and terror as it eyed him. " _Now_ we can speak privately." I smiled and led the man inside. The eyeball followed, and I made a mental note to scold Gaara for not doing any of his paperwork like he was supposed to. The man carefully tried to maneuver around the eyeball as we walked but it insisted on being a nuisance. Finally, I opened a side door and motioned for him to enter. He ran in and jumped around the conference table to put distance between himself and the floating eye. "It's alright," I laughed out loud, unable to bear the funny sight any longer. "The Kazekage is simply keeping an eye on you." I winked and laughed again at my own joke. The eyeball turned to me and I saw it crinkle a bit, and I knew Gaara was smiling, maybe even laughing at my pun. "Now, what's this all about, Mr…?" He jumped up and straightened considerably.

"Isao! My name is Maeda Isao, and I am from Takigakure, the Village Hidden in the Waterfalls." I was right at least that he wasn't from around here. Takigakure was practically on the other side of the continent.

"I am pleased to meet you, Isao. My name is—"

"Oh yes! I know who you are!" I clamped my mouth shut and sent a look at the Third Eye, hoping Gaara saw my uneasiness. For once, I was glad he wasn't doing his paperwork. Where was this going?

"What can I do for you, Maeda-san?"

"No, my Lady, it is what I can do for you." He bowed again, and now I was over this.

"Okay, just spit it out, you're freaking me out." I said bluntly. The Third Eye swirled around my head and shot at the man menacingly. Isao ducked and cowered.

"I've come on behalf of your father!"

At the mere mention of a paternal figure, the Third Eye dissolved to a heap of sand on the table and the door suddenly swung open for the rest of Gaara to enter. I scoffed at how quickly he had gotten here and figured he must have been making his way here the whole time, and sent the Eye in advance. "Kazekage-sama!" Isao about had a conniption as he bowed and bowed again. "I am—"

"There must be some mistake, Maeda-san." I interrupted and lightly put my hand on Gaara's arm, partly for reassurance, and partly to keep him from killing the man. No matter how far Gaara had come, even the mention of fathers could still set him off. "You must have me confused with someone else." Isao shook his head fervently.

"No, my lady. We have been searching for you for quite some time, ever since the reading of the will. We had almost given up hope that you would ever be returned to us, but when we heard the rumors that the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand was courting an Arai, we were obligated to send someone to—"

"A what? What did you just call me? And who is _we_?" I snapped. Isao was just as startled at my outburst as I was. What the hell was he talking about? This was all just a giant misunderstanding. It had to be. I didn't have a father.

"In Takigakure, there is a very powerful clan known as the Arai. They are the head Shinobi clan for the village." I looked at Gaara, wondering if he knew any of this, but his eyes were so focused on Isao that his pupils were only getting smaller and smaller. Not a good sign. "We of the Maeda clan have served the Arai faithfully for generations. Recently our clan leader, Arai Azumamaru, perished without a pronounced heir and so the leadership of the clan fell to his younger brother, Azito. At the reading of Azumamaru's will, a scandal was exposed and Azumamaru revealed that he had had an affair and produced a child out of wedlock. It was his dying wish that his child be returned to Takigakure and declared the head of the clan!"

"Wait, wait, wait…so what you're saying is—"

"Yes! You, Arai Azreah, are the true heir to the Arai clan of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall!" Gaara and I looked at each other, stunned, and then back to Isao. Somewhere in his speech he had gotten to his knees and was in a low Saikei Rei bow. My heart was beating so fast. But, but…but! I still had one string of reality to hold on to.

"Why in the world do you think that's me?" I managed to get out. I heard Gaara grunt and I thought he was backing up my question, but when I looked over, I saw that I was clutching his arm so tight he must have been grunting in pain. Isao looked up kindly and smiled at me.

"Why, your eyes of course. All members of the Arai clan have beautiful golden eyes. Like honey."

"That can't be your only proof!" I shouted. Suddenly, the door slowly opened behind the three of us and a ninja in a Chuunin flak jacket bowed to Gaara.

"Pardon the interruption, Kazekage-sama. Is everything alright?" I spun around and quickly laughed.

"Oh, yes, everything is—" I tried to play this off coolly. The last thing we needed was a—

"Take this man into custody." Gaara said. Isao balked and I hiccupped. The last thing we needed was a scandal.

"No!" I laughed nervously. "No, Gaara's just kidding! Thank you Yuki, everything is fine!" I said and slammed the door in the man's face. Gaara was glaring at me but I ignored him. I'd deal with that later, right now I needed help. Not Gaara's help. "Actually!" I flung the door open. Yuki was still standing there. He was a kind boy with no real propensity for fighting or war. It was he who discovered my lack of stomach for the teleportation Jutsu all those years ago and since then he was always in charge of my safety when Gaara wasn't around…even though Gaara was always around. No matter what though, Yuki was always there in the background, not ever wanting to fight, but willing. "Actually Yuki, please go find Baki and tell him I need him here… _now_."

* * *

"I would need to see your proof for this wild accusation." Baki sat ridged in his chair. We were doing this properly now. Gaara and I on one side of the table, Kankurou and Baki on the other, and Isao at the end sharing his tale again. There's no way this could be true, I thought. Plenty of people had gold colored eyes. In this day and age, with all the Kekkei Genkais there were out there, and all the Dojutsu like Sharingan and Byakugan, eyes like honey were nothing special. I felt a bit smug for a moment. Over the years, Baki had (slowly) allowed me into the libraries and files of the Shinobi world. I spent a lot of my free time there, studying old scrolls or analyzing the family trees of forgotten clans. I knew Uchiha Sasuke possessed the Sharingan, while my longtime friend Hinata possessed the Byakugan. Suna didn't seem to have any clan specific Kekkei Genkais and I wasn't sure if I was relieved or dismayed—if it put us at an advantage or a disadvantage. There was the one time case of Pakura but her Scorch Release didn't present in any other generation of her family and she had no children, so the line was believably dead.

"You say this like it is a bad thing! An accusation! Absurd! I have given you proof! The Lady's eyes!" Isao fretted. I sympathized with him for a moment. It's never a good feeling to be surrounded by people who don't believe you…but I couldn't believe him.

"That is not evidence." Baki shook his head and crossed his arms. I hoped this was over and done with because Gaara was not going to take much more. But surprisingly, Isao simmered, composed, and then pulled a scroll from his bag.

"I had hoped not to drag my former master's name through the mud, but you leave me no choice." He untied the bind and rolled the scroll flat on the table before him. "Behold! The will of Arai Azumamaru! All the proof you will need!" I groaned internally as Baki slid the scroll over so he could take a look at it.

"I, Arai Azumamaru, of Takigakure, the Village Hidden in the Waterfall of the Clan Arai, do declare that this is my last will and testament. I revoke all prior wills and codicils. I am married to—"

"Skip to the good parts, will you?" Kankurou yawned, leaning an elbow on the table, eyeing Isao with a wicked smile. In return, the merchant man gulped dramatically. Baki grunted, and instead of reading out loud, began to sight read, I assume, to find the good parts. He went down the scroll in record time for a man with only one eye and at the end I saw a tiny smirk on his face.

"This is not proof that Daagana is who you say she is." Isao balked and I sighed in relief.

"How is it not?!"

"It _does_ state that Arai Azumamaru had an affair with a woman he met in the Wind Country, and that a child was conceived around the same time as Daagana—"

"How is that not—"

"But," Baki snapped. "It makes no mention of the mother by name or Sunagakure. Eye color and coincidence alone won't convince us she is your heir. For all we know, this a ploy to get at Suna leadership. Daagana holds an important office and this could be a strategy to get a lead into the political arena of the Five Great Nations."

"What!" Isao cried. "We would never—"

"Still," Baki interrupted the man again, "We cannot be too careful. Unless you have some other _unequivocal_ evidence, this topic is closed." I took the first full breath I had in minutes. Baki to the rescue. I stood to politely see Isao out, but he pouted in his chair.

"Well, I'm gonna go finish the preparation for the exams. Let me know when someone shows up pretending Gana's the lost Queen of the Moon. That I wanna see." Kankurou stood and stretched.

"I am _not_ pretending." Isao looked up, and his face was dead serious.

"The matter is—" Baki tried but this time the merchant cut _him_ off.

"You want undeniable proof, my lady? Bring me the mother."

I stopped breathing. If everyone knew Gaara had daddy issues, everyone knew I had mommy issues. I stared at him, my mouth open.

 _The mother_. "If you bring the woman before me, my lady, I know I can convince her to tell you—"

"Stop calling me that!" I cried. I was shrinking inside myself, I could feel it. Her face flashed before my eyes and I reared back, knocking over my chair.

"My lady!" Isao jumped up and I grabbed my head. For two years, my entire life goal had been to _not_ think about it. Just forget it ever happened. _Run_. Run as far as I could. Ignore the nightmares. Disregard the memories. Her platinum blond hair, her favorite twinkling earrings, her blood on my face! "My lady!"

 _"_ _Go to hell!"_ I screamed. All I wanted was for this to be over, for Maeda Isao and Arai Azumamaru to be erased from my consciousness. In response to my fight or flight instinct, the _black_ surged forth towards the merchant. At the very last second that I screamed and Isao was to be obliterated, sand diverted my anger into the wall and blew a hole all the way out to the street.

 _You can't hide from me you little monster…_

 _Look at you, you're pathetic…_

 _I am done with you…_

 _You must do what your mother says!_

There was a high-pitched ringing in my ears that lingered until…

"Daagana…Daagana…" My forehead rubbed the floor as someone shook my shoulder. I was curled into a ball, my head between my knees, my hands still covering my ears. I was just beginning to regain my sight even though I knew my eyes were open wide the whole time.

"She's still shaking. We need to get her out of here. And get _him_ out of my sight." Baki…barking orders.

"Hey there, cutie pie." Someone put their hand under my chin and forced me too look up. Hiniku. "Been quite the day, hasn't it Gana?" I was blank. She lifted me by the arm and half supported, half dragged me up the stairs to the roof. The moment she kicked the door open and the wind hit my face…I could breathe again. This was my spot. Hiniku released me at the edge. I gripped the railing and threw up over it.

* * *

Baki watched as Isao argued the entire way to the gates of the village. He just kept repeating himself over and over again. Daagana was his heir, his new master, he couldn't leave her here, look at what they had done to her. Thank the gods for Gaara and his sand. Years before, Daagana was able to thread through his sand with ease, but after years of training together and understanding each other's strengths and weaknesses, they were able to combat each other. They were equals, capable of stopping each other if and when necessary. Oh, how Baki wished they had met sooner, at the very beginning.

Although, this newfound information was troubling, to say the least. Daagana, not from Suna? Baki had already instructed Yuki to get rid of the waterfall merchant and to make sure he didn't come back. That way the sand sensei could teleport back to the admin building to get to the bottom of this.

Gaara stared at the hole, fingering the edge of the building. With a lazy wave, sand began to refill the void, and in a few moments, there was no hole. It was like it never happened. But Gaara then stared at the over turned chair, and knew that no amount of sand could fix _that_ hole.

"Sensei! Sensei!" A figure flew past the open door, and then quickly reversed. "Sensei."

"Matsuri…" Gaara looked at her, breathing heavy, covered in dust. "What is it?" Her Johyo swung at her side as she looked up at him, alarmed.

"I saw the explosion, Sensei! What happened?" Gaara stared at her for a moment, wondering what he was going to say about this. He had repaired the hole in the wall, but Gaara knew that people were going to want a real explanation. It was public knowledge that Daagana was a powerful opponent, but her actual curse was a well-kept secret. The lie they told everyone was that she studied under the Nara clan and could use their shadow abilities. Her black looked similar enough, and people hadn't seen the Nara's shadow Jutsu up close, so…they just believed it. The fact that Shikamaru was around a lot helped it sell it even more. But no one had ever heard of shadows busting down walls. This was one of those moments where Gaara had to take a step back and weigh his responsibilities: Daagana or Village? In all honesty, usually the village won out because Daagana told him it should be so, but just this once, she would have to get over it.

"There was a misunderstanding."


	4. Convince Me

**_Chapter 4_**

I awoke the next morning to a terrible pounding behind my eyes. My room was dark and musty, and I was wrapped up snuggly in a huge comforter. One lonely beam of light shot through the curtains that were pulled tight on my window and it shone right in my face. I pulled the covers over my head and let out a groan. Who knows how long I had been out this time. All I could remember was the man's face, and throwing up over the side of the admin building. That man…

 _The mother—_

I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep from throwing up again. Suddenly my refuge was suffocating and I threw the blankets off in a heap. The beam of sunshine still blinded me and I cursed at it. Why was the stupid sun still shining? Didn't it know the _mother_ was dead? Didn't it know I killed her? Didn't it know—

"Before you come up with any other clever curses, just wanted to let you know I am down here…and not to step on me." A voice came from over the edge of the bed. I crawled over to look down and saw the heap of brown and black fur.

"Beju, what are you doing?" I accused. I didn't want to deal with his lazy demeanor right now. The last thing I wanted was to have something tell me that it didn't matter, that nothing mattered.

"You were hogging the bed." He shrugged.

"Why are you even in here? Can't you just leave me alone, just this once?" I asked as I rolled back over and secured the covers around me once again.

"No can do, Lady."

 _My Lady—_

I slapped my hand over my mouth again. How was I supposed to live like this? Beju raised his head and rested it on the bed. "You need to calm down. You can't have this reaction every time someone mentions—"

"Don't you _dare_ say another word." I hissed at him through my fingers. "You have no idea what I'm dealing with."

"Pretty sure you don't either, Lady." He said and laid back down to sleep. I laid on my back and stared at the ceiling for a long time, listening to his little puppy breaths. The ninken was right, as usual…and I almost hated him for it. After Giia died, I fell into a deep pit of depression. It was like the final straw had broken, my old life was officially over. I say that like it was a bad thing, but it wasn't. My old life was horrible...I chanted Baki's mantra in my mind over and over until my stomach settled.

 _People change for the ones they love_.

I had definitely changed, but is there a point when you go too far? When you change too much and you don't know how to get back to who you were? The dog was right though. This was not the first time this had happened in the past two years. Granted this was the worst one yet, but Hiniku has had to pull me back from oblivion more than once.

"Beju?" I whispered. He quietly woofed in response, too lazy to answer. "What am I going to do?" The pup sighed a little.

"I don't know about that. But what you _should_ do is talk to someone."

"I'm talking to you, aren't I?"

"Not to me, Lady. I'm just a dog. You need to talk to one of your kind."

"Yeah but one of _my kind_ will tell me exactly what I don't want to hear." I crossed my arms and glared at the ceiling.

"Doesn't matter. Truth is like the sun that's blinding you from the window. You can shut it out for a time but it isn't going to go away, no matter how much you may not like it." I peeked over the edge of the bed again to stare at him. He'd gone from curled into a ball to lying flat on his side. He looked dead except for his quick breathing.

"Are you sure you're just a dog?" I challenged.

"Quite. Now hurry up and decide if we're leaving the room any time soon. I have to pee."

Thankfully, they knew not to tiptoe around me anymore. When I finally left the room, Beju practically knocking me over in the process, Kankurou was coming down the hall with a bag of chips in hand. He had always been silly about getting messy fingers so I watched him use his Chakra strings to pull out each chip and eat it. Puppet chips, he called it.

"Look who finally decided to come back to life!" He bellowed and smiled at me. I returned it weakly.

"I'm really sorry about all of this." I started and then suddenly remembered I had blown a hole in the side of the building. "Is everything…repaired?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it." He said throwing his arm over my shoulder and guiding me downstairs. "Gaara took care of it."

"But what did he tell people?" Kankurou suddenly stopped and started laughing. He nearly fell down the stairs. "What!" I asked.

"That's literally the best part!" He cried and laughed all the way to the kitchen before he actually told me.

"Are you done yet? What's so funny?"

"We told…ahhh…we told everyone that Gaara sneezed." My face must have showed complete shock because Kankurou started laughing again. Sneezed? _Sneezed_.

"You have got to be kidding me!" I cried, but smiled. How adorable and stupid at the same time. They played off my mental instability as some bad case of the sniffles. Well Shukaku did have a big nose...

And then I remembered the other thing. After Kankurou was done with his bag of chips and getting ready to leave, I leaned against the wall in the foyer and asked, "What about the man?" He paused putting on his shoes and looked at me. His eyes were a little sad, a little confused and a little nervous, but he smiled again.

"You don't have to worry about him, Gana. He's gone. We took care of it." I swallowed the big lump in my throat and pretended to be happy about that, but Kankurou stood and pulled me into a hug. "He was also perfectly healthy as we marched him out of the village. You didn't hurt him. You didn't hurt anybody, got it?" I nodded numbly into his shoulder before he pulled me away and held me at arm's length. "Now, I gotta go finish some stuff for the exams. Were you planning on going into work today?" I shook my head 'no'. I didn't want to go to the admin building and see the patch job, or to the ramen bar to face Ojiisan and Etsu. "Alright, but you gotta do _something_ okay? Get out of the house." I agreed and Kankurou tussled my hair a little before he left for the day.

Tsunade-sama had sent out the invitations and like snobs, many of the villages declined. The only Shinobi that were being represented were: Suna, Konoha, Ame, and Taki.

 _Takigakure_ —

I gulped a little as I allowed myself to open that one up. Maeda Isao believed that I was an heiress from a clan in Takigakure. He was crazy of course but…a father and a family? How long had it been since I dared hope?

I went back upstairs and found a window that faced northeast. I couldn't see anything besides the village and the desert beyond, but maybe, in that direction was…family?

I sputtered.

No.

Just no.

I decided I didn't want to stay in the house, or go to the bar or go to the admin. I wanted to be out in the open doing something useful. So I donned the heavy desert clothes I wore when Gaara and I would train in the arid landscape and grabbed my pouch and basket so I could pick herbs in the canyon.

The canyon was on the outskirts of the village, on the back of an isolated sand dune. I liked going there to tend the herbs because it was quiet, and it was the place that I first met my sand nin. Granted Gaara almost killed me, but that was beside the point. At some point during the last few years, Hiniku and I had traded places unknowingly. She was now a front line ninja about to compete in the chuunin exams, and I was the one obsessing over medical jutsu. Part of it might have been Yoshino's fault because she always told me stories of her tending her garden so fervently and it made me want one of my own, and grow things that could save lives. So Baki put me in charge of the herbs. It was _all_ very fitting. It had _all_ come full circle. But as I made my way there, I still couldn't shake that feeling…that _hope_. When did that become such a bad word?

Suna at any other time of the year was bad enough, but they just had to have the exams in the middle of the summer, one of the hottest ones in years too. I wiped beads of sweat from my brow with my forearm and sat back on my heels. The sun was beating down on me and I was debating between calling it a day, or…

I centered myself like Shikaku had shown me and felt the edges of my shadow. At high noon, it was just a circle around me, but I reached down and picked it up off the ground and pulled it over my head to provide me with some shade. I looked like I had some sort of tail and I smiled to myself. The two tailed beasts of Sunagakure. I continued on with my work, using my shovel to displace the sand and my Kunai to neatly gather the roots and stems of whatever I needed.

"My lady?"

I slammed my knife into the sand and froze. My _black_ umbrella dissolved like water and the sun blinded me for a moment as I turned towards the entrance. Maeda Isao was standing there, wringing his hands, looking like he would wet himself any minute. Good, I thought. If he thought Gaara's Third Eye was scary, just wait until he saw my—

"I beg your pardon, my lady, but if I may…how did…how did this happen?" His question caught me off guard for a moment before I remembered the last time I saw him, I was trying to kill him.

"This?" I smirked and pulled the _black_ from my shadow and sent it to his shadow. On the sand, I manipulated his silhouette to look like he was being attacked by a mountain lion and he was screaming and running. Some of my best work, I thought. I looked up at his mortified face, and sobered. How did _this_ happen? I stood and adjusted my clothes, shaking the sand out a little. "This was _the mother's_ work." I said and shrugged past him out of the canyon.

He caught up to me about half way back to the village gate. I shoved my hands deep in my pockets, restraining myself from going all the way back just to get the herbs I had forgotten in my enraged haste. I could get them later, they weren't going anywhere…and neither was I.

"My lady!"

"For the love of all things holy, _stop calling me that_!" I cried. "I am not your lady!" and stamped my foot like a five year old.

"Of course, Arai-sama." Isao nodded.

"Oh my god." I face palmed. He wasn't even worth being mad at anymore, he was just too persistent, too annoying. "That's not my name." I sighed. "My name is _Daagana_."

"Daagana what?" Isao asked as he walked behind me.

 _"_ _Tell me about yourself."_

 _"_ _My name is Daagana." I said. Tsunade stared at me and waited…and waited._

 _"_ _No surname? Just Daagana?" She asked, bored. I laughed nervously and nodded. Just Daagana, just Gaara. "Very well, and you do understand your point here, don't you?"_

 _"_ _Yes. I'm here as a symbol." Tsunade cocked an eyebrow at me._

 _"_ _Yes. You are here to show the people of Konoha that the sand nin are here to help. Keep your paperwork on you at all times, and don't cause any trouble."_

 _"_ _Yes, ma'am."_

"What's so funny?" Isao asked, when he saw me smiling at the memory.

"Nothing." I waved it off.

"So, _do_ you have a last name?" He asked. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.

"No."

"Did your mother have a last name?" I gulped down the bile in the back of my throat. I stopped walking to collect myself, and then turned to the man who had almost run into my back trying to keep up.

"Honestly? She probably had a couple, but it doesn't matter. Please don't ask about her again."

"She's died, hasn't she?" He asked, and he even had the nerve to look sad about it! It was taking all of my will power to keep my cool, but I managed a yes. "I'm very sorry to hear that."

No one had ever said they were sorry about it before, and it gave me great pause. I looked back at him and saw his eager eyes and hopeful face.

"Isao…why is it so important that I be…the one you are looking for?" The sand blew past us, and as I stood my ground and let it wash over me, he fumbled around in the wind, getting sand every which where. How could he think I was from anywhere but here?

"I will be honest with you…Daagana. The second son, Arai Azito, is a cruel man." My heart slammed against my chest. "Everyone knows this, yet no one has been able to do anything about it. It was our hope that Master Azumamaru had made one last ditch effort to spare our village of his brother."

"If I was his back-up plan, don't you think he would have made it known to me, at least at some point before he died?" I reasoned.

"We believe that is was supposed to be… _her_ job to inform you of your linage."

"Yeah, well…She probably didn't know her left from her right when she found out she was pregnant." I mumbled and started walking again. "Come on Isao. There are giant monsters out here. I'd hate for one to get you."

Isao was quiet most of the way back into the village, probably thinking of what tactic to use next to persuade me to leave, but I had a tactic of my own. If Baki couldn't get me out of this…I would have to get myself out of this. My feet automatically found the path and as expected, Isao followed me all the way to the bar at my ramen shop.

"Ojiisan, Bachan, this is Maeda Isao. He's trying to kidnap me and take me away to his country across the sea." I introduced the merchant to my family. Everyone in the restaurant looked up and stared at the man I put in the spotlight. My fake grandparents eyed him evilly and the customers who knew me, glared just the same.

"It's not across the sea…" He mumbled as I ordered him to sit. Next, I went around and shed my dusty desert clothes that protected me from the harsh wind, and turned my apron around from the back to front. Then, I slapped a hunk of dough onto the counter in front of Isao and began to knead the crap out of it.

"So Isao…anything to say?"

"He betta not have nothing to say!" Etsu threatened from the deep fryer, her eyes like daggers. She and my Ojiisan matched today, both with brown tunics and tan aprons. I almost wanted to bet that they had spent the night together and that she was wearing his spare clothes, but my belly was still upset and I didn't think I could stomach that image.

Ironically enough, I had not been the one to tell them what happened. Gaara had undoubtedly laid the news on them over his midnight ramen routine. They probably threatened to close the shop down early and go through every inn until they found Isao and then turn him into ramen. I should remind them that it would be horrible tasting ramen. All watery.

"That's not very fair, Ms. Daagana. I'm offering you a much better life. The life of a princess! Haven't you ever wanted something more for yourself than this sand and ramen?" Isao said as Ojiisan silently slapped down a bowl of beautiful barbeque pork ramen in front of him. Even in his angriest state, Ojiisan couldn't make a bad bowl of soup. I snorted as I pounded the dough.

"Of course I have, but you're about two years too late, bud."

"Do you think you could…perhaps, tell me the story?" I stopped short and weighed the alternatives. Should I tell him about Giia? About the black eyes, and the broken arms and the pieces of my skull scattered on the floor? Should I tell him that I still saw her face when I closed my eyes or that I still hide her favorite necklace in the back of my drawer and home and take it out but never put it on? Should I tell him that I miss her, or that I killed her?

"I don't think so…" I mumbled as I began to knead again. I didn't want to see his face when I told him that his master abandoned me to _that_ life. Not that that guy was my father! Because he _wasn't_! Duh!

"Then please, just answer me this one question." Isao said. I eyed his untouched ramen and soured.

"Not until you have finished your barbeque pork."

"My…what?" He stared down at his bowl like he forgot it was there.

"Your pork? You know, from a pig? They have those in Taki right?"

"Barbeque?" He said and it sounded so foreign and mispronounced coming from him. Like he had never said it before in his life.

"Yes, barbeque. Roasted over a fire, on a spit, with a glaze."

"What is—" Before he could ask any more stupid questions, I grabbed a pair of chopsticks, dismantled his bowl and shoved a big piece of flank in his mouth. And I saw a very familiar reaction: the freeze, the stare…the devour.

"No barbeque in Takigakure, huh? Well I definitely can't go now." I mused as Isao practically licked his bowl clean. I heard Ojiisan make a satisfied grunt front the back. Another true believer converted to the way of ramen.

"And now for my question, my lady—sorry. Ms. Daagana."

"You can even leave off the Ms." I smiled. He nodded and patted his belly. So this guy wasn't so bad…he still wasn't going to convince me to leave, but he wasn't horrible to try.

"Ahem. The, uhh…the shadows—"

"Around here, it's called the _black_." I started. I figured this was going to be the question he asked. "It's a Hiden technique that I learned from—"

"The Nara clan of Konohagakure, yes, so I've heard." I stared at him. "I've been asking around about you. It would seem you are very popular and these people really love you."

"You say that like you're surprised." I said.

"On the contrary, it's very interesting to me, because there was another story…one that didn't end so well." He looked me directly in the eyes. "I have to know Ms. Daagana. I have to know if my master left you here…to endure…such things. I have to know."

"Now who do you think you are, son?" My Ojiisan came charging over with his spatula, ready to fry the man alive, but I put a hand on his chest. The village, despite my best efforts, had heard of Giia's activities and condemned her for it. But most believe she had died by tribulation, rather than trial. No one but my sand nin and Hiniku knew that I was the cause of her demise.

"It is… _true_ that what I went though was not a normal childhood, but it's not something that can be so easily discussed, especially here, in my home, with my family." Isao's face turned awfully pale and he stared down at his trembling hands.

"I swear…" He whispered. "I swear my master would not have left you here, had he known!" Suddenly, a noddle basket flew past my head and smacked Isao right in the face. He fell back off the stool and drooled unconscious on the floor. I looked back at Etsu, who was still fuming, and Ojiisan who gave her an approving squeeze of the shoulder. I sighed.

"We need that noodle basket, Bachan."


	5. The Sell Out

**_Chapter 5_**

"Hey…" I heard. My tired brain roused itself from sleep. Who was waking me in the middle of the night? I opened my eyes to find Hiniku nose to nose with me.

"Hey." I grumbled. We slept in her room at Ojiisan's house, on her big bed, snuggled up next to each other.

"I'm sorry Gaara had to leave." She said and I sighed. Gaara left this afternoon for Konoha and the exams. Kankurou too. That was why I was here in bed with Hiniku and Beju, who was sleeping on the roof. I couldn't handle a giant empty mansion. I didn't want to be alone, not right now.

"He's the Kazekage first." I mumbled.

"Psh. Whatever." But I could hear in her voice that she was going to ask something. She didn't wake me in the middle of the night for nothing.

"What is it?" I asked and shifted. She paused.

"Are you gonna leave?" She said quietly. I slid one eye open and looked at her. She was curled a little around herself, bracing, even though she _knew_ what I was going to say.

"No, of course not. Why would you ask that?"

"It's just that…Ojiisan said that merchant came back to get you again, and you looked like you were caving."

I snorted. "Traitor."

"Please don't go!" She cried and threw herself on top of me.

"Hiniku! Get off me!"

"Please, please, princess Daagana!" She teased and started to tickle me. I started crying I was laughing so hard. "Oh please, princess waterfall, don't leave me!"

Quickly, I shifted my body weight and gained the upper hand and started to tickle her. And before she could stop me, I lifted her shirt and raspberried her belly. It was the raspberry to end all raspberries too and to get away, Hiniku threw herself off the bed. It was over now, I had won and I peaked over the bed…but she was gone.

"Rawr!" She leapt up on the other side and tackled me again.

Ojiisan listened to our giggles long into the night I'm sure, and whatever ninja Gaara had posted for my security would have a funny story to tell his mates.

 ** _The Next Morning_**

I awoke to a note stuck to my forehead. Hiniku had the morning shift, and she was forbidding me from meditating under any waterfalls. And there was another note shoved in my face when I entered the admin building after showering and getting ready.

"A secret love affair, Gana? I thought you would know better!" Ai shoved a letter in my face. She wore a blue dress that was a tad too short and all the men snuck peaks as they passed. She knew they were looking too, so she would stick her butt out a little more. I snatched the paper and scowled at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Daagana! You better not be breaking Lord Gaara's heart! Although, there are plenty of other fish in the sea for him to catch." She said and winked at me, which only made me want to punch her.

"Screw you, he _is_ my sea!" I yelled after her as she scampered away, hips swinging like a road hazard. Annoyed, I tore the folded note open and stared at the chicken scratch handwriting.

 _"_ _My dear lady,_

 _I realize my campaign may have been a bit forward and possibly overbearing, so I do apologize. But I wanted to inform you that I have some business to attend to in a nearby town, but will return to Suna after and try and convince you, once again, of who you really are. Please think diligently about my offer, and try to understand what is at stake._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Maeda Isao"_

I crumpled up the paper and shoved it in my pocket as I stormed upstairs. Maeda Isao was one persistent son of a bitch and I was starting to hate Gaara for stopping me from killing him. Once I made it up to the council rooms, I went through each office until I found Baki conversing with a fellow elder. When he saw me, he motioned for me to wait while he finished, so I leaned against the wall beside the door and shuffled sand around with my foot. All of Suna was made of sand, and I wondered sometimes if the first Kazekage, Reto, had done it on purpose so he could build and rebuild the village as he saw fit. It certainly seemed useful for Gaara who was constantly resurrecting old structures or patching up holes, mine being the most recent.

After a few minutes, Baki and another elder exited the office. The old man nodded silently to Baki before making his way down the hallway, his long white hair swishing behind him as he walked. Kanki.

"Come." Baki said and started walking down the opposite way, his elder robes swishing behind him. I followed silently as he led me downstairs to the archives. It a massive room with a low ceiling that made the room dim and cramped, even though the rows and rows of cabinets stretched on for at least a mile. We were below the admin building where all the files were kept. I'd spent plenty of time down here by myself and I knew my way around, but Baki led me over to a row that I never bothered to touch: the civilian files. I wasn't sure if he was going to show me something or if he was just being boring but I pulled out the letter in my pocket and smoothed it out.

"Baki…Maeda Isao sent this to me this morning. He found me in the desert a few days ago too. I don't know what to do." He nodded but kept leading me deeper into the stacks. Eventually we came to a sort of break area in the middle of a few rows. It was nothing more than a few desks and some lamps for extra light, but I saw that one of the desks was covered in open folders, and crumpled up paper. Baki went straight to it and picked up a page. It was old and a bit worse for ware, but he handed it to me.

"I've been looking into it and I have been searching for more information but everything that I have found has not helped me disprove, but corroborate the merchant's story. These are Giia's village entrance papers from fifteen years ago. One adult plus one six month old infant."

"Oh Baki. What are you saying?" I pleaded as I clutched it. It was a typical data form, all her information and apparently mine in nice little rows and checked boxes. There was even a picture of her, although it didn't look like the mother I remembered. This picture was of a young woman with tired eyes, her cheeks taut on her face and her hair pulled back tight under a bandana. Growing up, I couldn't even recall a time when Giia put her hair in a ponytail, let alone under a dirty headscarf. This lady didn't look anything like the glowing mother I had extinguished.

"This paper proves that you were not born in Suna." Baki said and I promptly stumbled into the nearest chair and started to hyperventilate. This stupid room was too big, and too small at the same time. I felt like the floor was dissolving under my feet but the walls were closing in. Baki slowly came over and put a hand on my shoulder to ground me, but held up another paper for me to see. "Unfortunately, there is more." Staring up at me were golden eyes. From the picture it looked like he was a massive man, taller than anyone else in the group of old men. Brown hair with a full beard and a forehead protector like a crown on his head. There were other things I recognized about him too, like his cheek bones, and his nose, both of which were on my own face. But the main thing I saw was his smile. This was Arai Azumamaru, and I knew without even looking up at Baki's troubled face: This was my _father_.

Baki hated everything about this, but after days of scouring the records and civilian files, he found nothing but truth in the man's words. He'd gotten the picture from a merchant transcript associated with the trade route they had with Takigakure, and he'd even gone so far as track down some of the men who had made the trip and asked them about the Arai clan. They all said the same thing: It was a prominent family, and Azumamaru was a good man.

This whole situation was going to undo years of work, and possibly the greatest Kazekage in the making the world had ever seen. The fact that Daagana was not originally from Suna was something most of them could care less about, but this status that she held in another Hidden Village was a different story. Although she never knew it, she was an heiress and Takigakure could declare war against Suna for withholding their clan member. All of this could get very ugly, and there was only one way to fix it.

"Listen to me, Daagana." Baki shook her shoulder a little to make sure she hadn't disappeared inside herself entirely. She was still staring at the picture with wide eyes. "You must go to Takigakure when the merchant comes for you again. You must go and you must confront this clan. It's the only way to keep the peace. Go, abdicate your claim, and come back before Gaara returns from the Chuunin exams."

"Abdicate?" She looked up at him, confused.

"Yes. Tell them you have no intention of taking on that role so that it passes on to the next person in line."

"Before Gaara comes back?"

"Yes," Baki took the picture from her, "It will look unscrupulous if Gaara has a hand in this. Taki could think you were abdicating under duress and accuse Suna of war crimes under the treaty. This is the only way."

"But Baki—"

"Here is the mission: One team of the Hidden Waterfall's genin are coming to the Chuunin exams. If you ever were to go, it has to be now, so that if they refused to let you return, we could keep their genin as collateral."

"Her name is—"

"It doesn't matter. There is no time to think about this. You must leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? But Baki, I can't go alone!" No one could accompany her, it was true. Hiniku's team was participating in the exams, Gaara, Kankurou and Temari were all proctors, her Ojiisan and Bachan couldn't leave the ramen bar, and Baki was in charge of the village while Gaara was away, so…who was left?

Yuki.

Yuki was left.

* * *

My orders were to pack and report to the gates first thing in the morning. I looked around my room at the mansion, not knowing what to take with me. Usually I would pack for the inevitable battles, but on this trip, I didn't think there would be any. Nevertheless, I knew Kankurou would chide me forcefully if I wasn't prepared for anything the moment I stepped outside the village. So I packed my kunai, my shuriken, my protector, clothes for general occasions, some food pills, and lastly, I packed the Goldstone rose Gaara made for me on our first anniversary. I stressed myself out as I thought of him, pacing in his apartment in Konoha, probably flanked by his siblings, an annoyed Shikamaru and Lee. Gaara was constantly surrounded by friends now, and it felt almost like a betrayal as I stood a hundred miles away, preparing for a mission without his consent.

From what Beju told me, Yuki was also freaking out. Protection detail assigned to the one ninja on earth who hated fighting, and without the permission of the Kazekage no less. Being responsible for my safety had always been a cake walk for Yuki. I mean, come on. I can take care of myself, and if not, Gaara would always come charging up behind to demolish whoever it was. But the simplicity of the post was not why Gaara assigned Yuki to me. It was because Yuki and his family had a Hiden technique called ' _Kyanseru'_ , the Cancellation. This allowed Yuki the ability to negate chakra, in the sense that anything spirit energy related could be eradicated with one swipe of Yuki's palm. I had only seen it in action once, by accident. It was during one of Ai and I's fake office duels, when I conjured up some wild stallions and sent them rampaging through her office. It was a harmless joke, and they passed through all the walls and desks without damage, but Yuki was on the other end of the room, and as a horse charged at him, he jutted his palm out and sent the horse shattering like glass. The physical form was reminiscent of the Soft Style of the Hyuuga, but I bet even Neji wouldn't know what to do with Yuki.

I didn't know what else to do with everyone I knew gone for the exams, so I went to the ramen bar and sat down like a customer. Ojiisan sighed at me as I picked at the last cold noodles in my bowl. I'd eaten it like a good girl, but I didn't actually taste any of it. Etsu gave Ojiisan a sharp look and he came around the bar to sit next to me.

"What is it, my _Sabaku no hana_?" He said and put his big hand on my shoulder. I looked at his calloused fingers and tears welled in my eyes. "Ah! What is this about?"

"I really wasn't expecting it to be this hard." I said and pressed the palms of my hands to my eyes to try and stop the leaking. But I was failing.

"What?" He asked.

" _This_." I cried and pulled my hands back but it only undammed my eyeballs and I started to cry openly. " _This_. Finding out that I have a family. That I'm actually someone else entirely. That I've never known who I was or why I was here, and everything has always been a lie and—"

"Okay, stop, stop." Ojiisan wrangled in my flailing arms and pulled me into a hug. He smelled like flour and fish and I took a deep breath in. "If ya didn't know who you were, you coulda just asked. I know who ya are." He said and pushed me back a little so he could see my face. "You're Daagana, the Ramen Princess. You are da strongest, most wonderful girl I know, and it's about time you saw that for yourself. You have been fighting your whole life, and now that you stopped, you don't know what to do. Oh ma dear, being negative about it only makes a difficult journey more difficult. You may be given a cactus, but you don't gotta sit on it."

And that, apparently, was all I needed to hear. Sometimes you just need someone to simply to be there, not to fix anything or do anything in particular, but just to let you feel we are supported and cared about, and my Ojiisan, as usual, hit the nail on the head. I was making this so much harder than it should have been. I was still Daagana. That at least, hadn't changed.


	6. Calico Asters and Koi

**_Chapter 6_**

We left the next morning for Konoha, Yuki, Isao and I. Takigakure was in the Land of Waterfalls, north of the Land of Fire and just east of the Land of Earth. Typically, the route to Taki would go straight through Amegakure and Kusagakure, but I told Isao that if we were going, I wanted to go through the Land of Fire, through Konoha. At least then I could run this whole charade by Lady Tsunade and get her point of view. And I had vowed long ago that I would never _ever_ step foot in Amegakure, just on principle…and the fact that they attacked Suna during the Oasis festival two years ago.

I nodded to Baki as we exited the gate. It was a mutual understanding sort of gesture. I had wanted to leave a note for Gaara, to tell him what was going on and to promise that I would be back, but Baki said I shouldn't, and that he would tell Gaara everything. He said it was for security reasons, that if it was on paper it was more of a liability, but it just made me that much more nervous to leave, like I was slipping away quietly into the night.

Ugh. I felt like such a liar.

But at the same time, I did _not_ want to be there when Gaara found out that I was wondering the desert with only a civilian and a ninja who hated fighting.

I think Isao must have thought he was dreaming the whole time because he kept turning around to make sure I was still following him. He led, with me in the middle and Yuki bringing up the rear sullenly. We camped in the desert and hitched our tent beside a massive Cardon Cactus. It would seem that Gaara's love for cacti eventually rubbed off on me, because I could name most of the plants in the area. The Cardon cactus for example was over 36 feet tall, and the trunk was almost the width of three men. By my guess it was over 200 years old, and that made me smile. The reason Gaara loved them so much was because they were simple and deadly, like him. All they wanted—all they _needed_ was the sun and the wind, nothing else.

Isao went about making a fire with some sticks and flint while Yuki and I just exchanged glances. If this were a mission we would never in a million years light a fire, but this wasn't technically a mission, so we sat down beside it, extra alert, just in case. Isao didn't notice, he just went about making dinner in a very clumsy fashion. Just some rice, soaked in fish broth. I wondered as we ate the bland food, what kind of merchant Isao was that _this_ was the best food he had on the road. And then I felt so stuck up that I grimaced at myself.

After we were finished eating and the sun had set, Yuki tended the fire while I put up a wall of _black_ on all sides to keep the light from shining too brightly and attract anyone. Isao was digging in his bag for a moment before holding out a small bundle to me. I stared at it, and then up at him.

"It's a token my—ahem. Daagana." He said. He was so eager, and it was making me uneasy, so I quickly took it from him and put it in my lap. It felt hard and cool, and was wrapped in a simple white cloth.

"What is it?"

"Have a look." He encouraged, and I slowly removed the cloth. In my hand sat a faded white sphere.

"What _is_ it?" I asked again, and moved it all around so I could see it better. It was perfectly round, with no blemishes, and when I held it up to the fire light I saw a sheen of iridescence and that made me smile.

"It's a Lake Pearl."

"It's beautiful."

"They come from clams in the lake of the Jiijii."

"In the what?" Isao blinked a few times like he wasn't sure why I asked, but when he saw Yuki and I's confused expression he explained.

"I guess it's understandable that you don't know much about Takigakure. We pride ourselves on never having been invaded, but that also makes it hard for tourists as well."

"Like we would ever attack _or_ visit." I heard Yuki mutter under his breath. He pulled out his journal from his bag and began to jot down random things. I leaned over to peak but he shied away. Rude. I 'humphed' and went back to examining the pearl.

"Takigakure is positioned at the edge of Lake Hanasaka, and in the middle is the Tree of Jiijii."

"The tree has its own name?" I asked absently.

"Yes, it's named after the folktale." Yuki paused his writing to shoot the merchant a look and I stifled a giggle. If there was one thing Yuki couldn't resist, it was a good story. "The story goes, an old childless couple loved their dog, Jii. One day, it dug in the garden, and they found a box of gold pieces there. A neighbor thought the dog must be able to find treasure, and managed to borrow the dog. When it dug in his garden, there were only bones, and he killed it. He told the couple that the dog had just dropped dead. They grieved and buried it under the tree where they had found the treasure. One night, the dog's master dreamed that the dog told him to chop down a certain tree and make a mortar from it. He told his wife, who said they must do as the dog asked. When they did, the rice in the mortar turned to gold. The neighbor borrowed it, but the rice turned to foul-smelling berries, and he and his wife smashed and burned the mortar.

That night, in a dream, the dog told his master to take the ashes and sprinkle them on certain cherry trees. When he did, the cherry trees came into bloom, and the Daimyo passing by marveled at them and gave him many gifts. The neighbor tried to do the same, but the ashes blew into the Daimyo's eyes, so he threw him in prison. When he was let out, his village would not let him live there anymore, and he could not, with his wicked ways, find a new home."

"And the Tree of Jiijii is the tree they buried the dog under?" I asked.

"So they say." Isao shrugged.

We were silent for a time, while Yuki kept writing and I kept fiddling with my new jewel. I guess it was a jewel, it was as pretty as one. I wanted to put a hole through it and wear it on a necklace but, at the same time, nearly cried at the thought of marring it. I wanted to know more about it. He said if came from clams? I wasn't entirely sure what a clam was…and I didn't want Yuki to know that I wanted to know. Oh this was all so silly. It wasn't like I was going to Taki to stay. I just wanted to know what a clam was!

"Isao." I coughed out the word quickly before I could stop myself. Yuki shot me a glance from under his pale blue hair and kept writing. What the heck was he writing about! "Where did you say these came from?" I held up the pearl.

"Clams, in Hanasaka Lake." Yes but what the heck is a clam?

"Can you…tell me about them?"

"Oh! Of course! I will tell you anything you want to know about Takigakure!" I wasn't sure how clams became a Hidden Village but I wasn't stopping him. But before Isao could throw himself into a monologue, Yuki quickly said,

"Gana." It was an authoritative sort of noun. Like he was halting everything so he could assess it. He was my protection detail after all. We looked at each other and I could see clearly that he was uncomfortable with this. Borderline mad about it. For the two of us, this _was_ a mission. Go to Taki, abdicate, go home. Go to Taki, abdicate, go home. Go to Taki, abdicate, go home. I reached over and stilled his pencil.

"There's no harm in learning something new. Takigakure is our ally after all. We'll have quite the story to tell when we go home." I looked back to Isao who seemed to have taken the 'when we go home' part like a punch in the gut, but he stumbled into his lecture anyway, relaxing as he went.

Takigakure was built around a large tree and also, predictably, a large waterfall as a defining landmark. Despite being surrounded by four other countries, Taki had never been successfully invaded, a feat they are very proud of. In order to access the village, one has to go through an underground cave system below a large waterfall (of course), and the cave system's exit leads into the large lake in the middle of the village, Hanasaka. Isao also told us about the Genin team who was participating in the Chuunin exams. The girl, Fuu, seemed to be rather cheerful with a happy-go-lucky and somewhat carefree disposition. Isao said she was a troublemaker, a loudmouth and got bored easily. Funny, she reminded me exactly of Kankurou.

"The village is known for creating some of the strongest Jounin in the world but it's also the most beautiful. You'll understand my Lady. Once you see it, you'll never want to leave." Of course this immediately posed a threat to Yuki as he shifted and decided that our conversation was over.

"It's time for bed. I'll take the first watch. We have a long way to go."

 ** _Next Evening_**

Our trip was slow going because of Isao. He was no ninja, therefore we couldn't jump our way through the Land of Rivers as usual. We couldn't even run at a fast pace. He was like a leisurely old man who couldn't go faster than a brisk walk. It was making Yuki very twitchy to stick to the main roads, and we passed more than a few people who could have been potential threats. Each time we stopped for food or to rest for Isao, Yuki would whip out his little journal and jot down a few things that he refused to let me see. Although it wasn't really a secret. He was keeping record of our journey for Baki or Gaara maybe. He recorded what Isao said about Taki and what questions I asked him about it. When we stopped, when we slept, when we ate. Technically, it was standard procedure, but he didn't have to be such a _butt_ about it.

That night we stayed at an Inn on the border of Fire Country. Isao had insisted that we pamper ourselves a bit and at least take baths, which made Yuki furious.

"Does he think we are savages? That we don't have running water in the Sand?" He snapped at me as Isao bought us a room.

"No," I snapped back. "I think he's just a civilian who likes to be clean… _all the time_."

The inn was small and it translated to an equally small room. Wood floors and simple bed mats, but a hidden treasure of extremely ornate and delicate wall dividers. We got the room at the end of the hall so we only had the one divider, but it was gold with a scene of cranes in a pond with bright koi and cattails. I made Yuki scoot over so I could lay beside it and trace my fingers over the fish scales.

"We have hordes of Koi in Taki, my Lady. They mean good fortune."

"You—Go to bed." Yuki ordered the merchant and sat himself on the door frame. "I'll keep watch. Inns are notorious for thieves."

"This is a nice place. I've stayed here before—"

"We don't want any of your precious pearls to be stolen." Yuki sneered. He was being a snob but I couldn't justify telling him to shut up, although when I saw the hurt look on Isao's face, I glared at Yuki for it. He shrugged it off like he didn't care so I stole his pillow and forced myself to sleep.

I have to admit, it was nice not sleeping on the forest floor, but the flat mats did nothing for my aching back. I woke up in the middle of the night with a crick so fierce I had to arch my back and flex my feet just to get loose. My head was shoved forward and I remembered that I had double pillows, but when I sat up to offer it back to Yuki, feeling a little bad, but he was asleep.

Such a sweet kid, I couldn't stay mad. His head was rested back against the door and his mouth was slightly open. I wondered if maybe this is what Gaara thought I looked like when I fell asleep at the office or any of the other random places he had found me snoring in. The thought of Gaara squeezed my chest. Tomorrow was the start of the Chuunin exams and I feared we would cross paths in Konoha, but I couldn't help it. I wanted a second-fifth opinion about all of this, and the smartest people I knew were in Konoha.

Quietly I crawled over to the boy. _Boy_ …I say that like we weren't the same age. Gently, I laid him over on his own mat and took up his watch. There was no window, so I stared at the cranes and the koi.

"…and courage…" I whispered to no one but the dust motes. "Koi stand for courage."

* * *

My feet knew exactly where they were going once we made it to the Hidden Village territory. It was nearly noon when the tops of the gates peaked over the hills and I almost left the finicky men behind then and there. I thought of all my friends who were going to brave the Demon Desert tomorrow: Sakura, Hinata, Hiniku, TenTen, Sho…Ugh. I wondered if they had moved on yet, if the teams were making their way in some convoy we had missed by sheer accident.

Turns out I was quite wrong.

"Hey, Daagana!" Kotetsu waved from the Jounin Standby Station at the entrance to the village. "You're going the wrong way!"

"I'm what?" I asked as I stopped at the desk to register my traveling companions and I.

"The race for the Chuunin exams. You're gonna miss out!"

"She's already a Chuunin, lazy ass. Don't you read the briefings?" Izumo plopped his feet on the counter and leaned back in his chair.

"Not the briefings from Suna."

"You should sometime. They're hilarious." I was twitched considerably as I tried to reign myself in. They were just Leaf ninja, they were just dorks, they were just losers—

"I write those briefings…" I managed as a vein popped on my forehead. "What's so funny about my briefings—"

"Lady Daagana." Yuki was trying his hardest to hold me back from a cowering Izumo when we all looked over at the merchant man. He had unshouldered his pack and was digging around in it. "I _do_ have some business to attend to if we are going to stay for a while. If you need me, I will book a room for us—"

"There's no need, Isao. We'll be staying with friends." I assured the man and shot a glare at Kotetsu who was hiding behind his chair.

"With…friends, Lady?"

"Twice in one month! How lucky am I?" Yoshino opened her arms as I ran into her hug. The entrance to the Nara compound in Konoha was not heavily guarded or tricky to find. The only way you knew where you were is because of the flags flying everywhere with the Nara symbol on it…oh, and because it was the furthest clump of buildings out from the admin building. It's pretty much a hike to get all the way there. But the view is worth it. Isao was panting and holding on to Yuki's arm, who had not offered it. "Come in, come in!" Yoshino ushered us into her kitchen that sported a view of the meadow out back. The blossoms from spring has long since died and the late summer flowers were just starting to bloom. The Cleomes and the Mums swayed in the breeze as Yuki leaned against the frame and admired them. Isao, on the other hand, threw himself down at the table. Yoshino went back to stirring something on the stove, but when she saw us looking at the flowers she said,

"You know, the Asters will start popping up soon, just in time for your birthday."

"Asters for September." I remembered happily.

 _"_ _Ino! Ino! Ino—" I called out her name until I ran into the counter. She stared at me wide eyed, frozen in place. "Ino, what flower represents the month of September?" I asked quickly._

 _"_ _Don't hurt me!" She cowered._

 _"_ _What? I'm not going to hurt—"_

 _"_ _Not you! Him!" She cried and ducked under the counter. I looked over my shoulder at Gaara, who stood at the entrance. He wasn't in a very happy mood this morning and I knew that he didn't want to be kept waiting._

 _"_ _Come on Ino. He's not going to hurt you. Now," I said as I leaned over the counter and smiled at her, "which flower for September?"_

"You planted a special kind though, didn't you Yoshino?" I asked. She smiled and nodded.

"Yes. The Symphyotrichum lateriflorum, or more commonly known as the Calico Aster. Like other asters, it's valued in gardens for providing late color after the main flowering season has finished. I think it's appropriate, don't you?" She asked and walked over to play with my hair.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Late bloomers. The both of you."

Shikaku walked in a moment later and marveled at the group in his kitchen.

"Uhh, hey Gana." He said and marched over to the fridge to pour himself a drink. "Who are the stiffs?" He asked as he leaned against the counter and sipped his juice. He only wore his fishnet and standard pants. No shoes or shirt or vest and I giggled as Yoshino blushed. These two were what I imagined Hiniku's parents had been like. Totally in love, and total opposites.

"Good Lord, Shikaku. We have guests! Can't you grow up for half a second and at least put a shirt on?" Even as she said it, I knew she didn't mean a word of it. There was no other way to deal with a Nara man, I knew. To avoid the inevitable follow up of whimpering and whining on Shikaku's part, I butted in and introduced them to my companions.

"This is Chikyū Yuki. He's my personal guard assigned to me by Gaara. And this is Maeda Isao, a merchant from Takigakure."

"From Taki, eh?" Shikaku scratched his goatee and eyed me. He was arguably the smartest man in the world, so when he asked, "Where are you guys headed?" I knew it was a ploy for more intel.

"That _is_ where we're headed." I answered and he eyed me.

"I think you better start this one from the top, Gana."


	7. Just Daagana

**_Chapter 7_**

"An heiress?" Yoshino set down a bowl of Miso soup in front of me.

"Supposedly." I shrugged as she sat down. Shikaku was stroking his goatee like a cat the whole time I told him my story. Isao excused himself before I started for 'business' reasons but I assumed that he just didn't want to be yelled at again. Finally, at the end, Shikaku sighed and shrugged, like it was taking all his energy not to fall asleep.

"That's quite a tale, kid." The Jounin got up and put his empty bowl on the counter, but turned as he exited. "Before you head out, come by the admin building. I'm sure Lady Tsunade would like to hear about this."

"Will you be there?" I asked, and he raised an eyebrow. I braced myself a little for his lazy let down, but he just smirked and nodded.

"Let's talk about something else." Yoshino smiled after her husband left. "Did you hear about the race?"

"Izumo mentioned it, but didn't go into detail. I didn't realize that the Chuunin exams had a stamina portion." I said as I picked at the table cloth.

"Oh they don't." Her words caught my attention and I looked up at her mischievous face. "Too many Genin passed my son's Phase I test, so they are hosting a preliminary round. The first 30 participants to make it to the Demon Desert will secure their spots. Everyone else forfeits."

"Only the first 30!" I cried and immediately thought of Hiniku who couldn't even jump through the trees without smacking herself in the face.

"The Chuunin exams have always been this intense. Ahhhh, I remember when I took them. Practically ancient history, you know." She winked and fanned herself dramatically. "But you don't have to worry. The Konoha 11 are almost guaranteed to pass."

"Oh my god, is that what they're calling themselves?" I burst out laughing.

"Not them personally, but it's what everyone else refers to them as. Why? You don't like it?"

"It's a bit cheesy."

"I think the world could use a bit more cheese. Especially now." She said.

"Why now?" I asked. She was silent for a bit, and her face was troubled. I wanted to know what in the world was causing her grief, because I would single handedly squash it, but she quickly smiled and it was like the expression had never been there.

"Let's talk about something else. Oh, let me do you hair! It's been ages!"

Yoshino didn't say anything else about impending doom after that, but I obediently sat and let her braid, twist, crimp and fashion my hair into whatever she wanted. She always said she wished she'd had a daughter and not her lazy excuse for a son. I thought she must get lonely, because it was true: I'd never met another Nara woman. And even after all my efforts and coaxing, Yoshino had yet to take a shining to Temari. Yuki sat at the table and watched contently, probably more comfortable now that Isao was gone. But the merchant was going to come back eventually and we were going to continue on in the morning.

"Hey Yuki." I said as Yoshino combed out the long section of my hair. At some point I had closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of someone playing with it.

"Hmm?" He said from the table where he was scribbling in his journal.

"Do you want to spar with a Nara?" I heard his pen stop, and I cracked an eye to see him frozen. "Or better yet, I bet I could track down a Hyuuga and pit your _Kyanseru_ against their Gentle Fist." Which was a half lie, since the only two Hyuugas I knew were on their way to Suna. But it didn't matter. The desired effect was achieved as he openly glared at me.

"I think not, Lady."

"Well I do." I said as I tried to sit up. Yoshino pulled me back down by my hair, but after a few pins, I was released. As I felt my scalp, I couldn't accurately describe what she had done to my head. It was styled into intricate loops and twists and I felt a chill as the air touched the back of my neck. I rarely wore my hair up, and never _this_ high up. I started to laugh as I followed a few loops around but got lost on my own head. It was like controlled chaos. "I don't think I can spar like this!" I laughed and when I turned to her, she was smiling sadly and then a fire ignited in her eyes as she said,

"Well _learn_ , because there is no way I am taking it down!"

I didn't end up going out to the training grounds with Ensui or Shikaku. Instead, I told Yoshino to let Isao know that if he came back before we did, Yuki and I would be at the admin building in a meeting with the Hokage.

When we finally made it in and up to the corridor where Tsunade's office was, there was a loud oscillating buzz echoing down the hallway. Walking towards us was Shizune with her hand plastered to her face, shaking her head.

"Hey, what's with the facepalm?" I asked when she noticed us. She sighed heavily before summoning up the strength to smile and wave at us.

"Oh nothing. It's nothing. I hope you didn't come all this way to see Lady Tsunade."

"Why? Isn't she available?" I paused.

"No. I'm afraid she's going to be in meetings all afternoon—" A shrill ripped through the hallway, and Shizune stiffened. Yuki cocked an eyebrow at the assistant as she paled. "Ha ha ha, darn rats." She laughed.

I snorted. " _Meetings_ , you say?" Quickly I passed by Shizune and reached for the door. She tried to stop me but I asked, "And just how long has she been in her _meeting_?" Sighing in defeat, Shizune slumped.

"A little over an hour."

With a huff, I pushed the door open to reveal the disaster site that was the Hokage's office. Papers and scrolls were strewn every which way, along with empty bottles of sake and tonic. On top of all of that was a random assortment of medical supplies: discarded latex gloves, scalpels of every size, a couple of surgical gowns, one that still had blood on it I think, and then finally…a snoring Tsunade, asleep face down on her desk. As a courtesy I threw the door open wider, the loud _smack_ from the door connecting with wall startled the Hokage from her sleep.

She looked up at my bleary eyed.

"Aren't you supposed to be half way home by now?" She slurred and I rolled my eyes.

"I am already a Chuunin!" I exclaimed as I trudged deeper into the pit of her office.

Once Shizune and I got her up and cleared off a place for me to sit, she and Yuki left us alone so I could tell Tsunade my tale. About the time that I mentioned 'heiress', she perked up.

"…So Baki told me that if I wanted to go, I had to go now so that if they kept me from coming back, Suna could keep Fu as collateral."

"That was a smart move for the man with half a face." She mused and crossed her legs.

"He kept telling me to go, abdicate and come home…but I mean, abdicate?" I shrugged.

"Of course, abdication is an option. It's just a fancy word for giving up power. It's not all that uncommon. I contemplate it everyday." Tsunade chuckled.

"You do?" I peered at her.

"Of course. Sometimes people in power just get tired and give up their power and step down. When they do that, they _abdicate_ their authority, giving up all duties and responsibilities. And subsequently, all the perks." She sighed dramatically. "Of course that would mean leaving Shizune in charge as steward, and she would never forgive me."

"What's a steward?"

"Just someone you have take your place until a new leader can be voted in." I nodded and wandered into my own thoughts. I could feel her staring at me, and after a moment or two of my not answering she asked,

"Vocabulary lesson aside, how do you feel about all of this?" I shrugged, masking my displeasure. How the hell was I _supposed_ to feel about all this?

"I didn't think it would be so hard." I repeated as I remembered crying on Ojiisan's shoulder and what he'd said.

"What?" She asked.

"Finding out that I'm someone… _special_ ; that I had an entire family this whole time; That Giia had been someone else in a different life; that I'm not just…Daagana."

"You say that like there's something wrong with being _just_ Daagana." She said nonchalantly and leaned back in her chair.

"No…I mean yes…I'm mean…I've always been the basket case, the girl people avoided on the road because they didn't want to take the time to ask how I got that black eye. I was always just me—"

"And look where _being you_ has gotten you." She argued. "You're probably the first Chuunin in the history of Sunagakure who didn't have to take the exams to prove herself. You've befriended and love one of the most feared individuals of all time, and you are the only person in the world with your power. Trials and tribulations aside, you are a survivor. Don't underestimate _that_ Daagana." She said and pointed an accusatory finger at me.

As her words sunk in, I reached in my pocket and pulled out the picture of my father. The creases along the fold were already worn in from how many times I had taken it out and looked at it, and then shoved it back away. I'd memorized every line on his face, the crinkles around his eyes that told me he laughed a lot, the deep wrinkled along his forehead that made me believe he was fearsome when angry. It was like he had a map of the world etched into his features and I desperately tried to imagine how he would look at me…at Daagana.

Carefully, like it was a treasure, I placed the photo down before the Hokage, and held my breath as she picked it up and eyed it. It was a long moment before she looked at me again over the edge of the paper.

"Azumamaru, huh?" She said, her eyes hard and I squinted at her. I had not told her his name.

"How did you know?" I asked as she laid the picture back down.

"I was assigned quite a few missions to Taki back in the day. The Hero Water produced there is legendary and I was given permission to study it. I remember the Arai clan and Azumamaru. He wasn't the leader back then, just living in his father's shadow. He was a big man, a strong man. Admittedly, he was one of the few people I knew who could hold their sake better than me." I gaped at her, and she smirked. "I know I may not look it, but Naruto doesn't call me grandma for nothing."

I just couldn't believe how many things I never thought of as I stared at her face, trying to determine what she meant by that. Of course she would know people from Taki, she was the Hokage. She probably knew everybody! "Look Gana," She said and laced her fingers in front of her, leaning closer to me over the desk. "Just because you've found out these new things about yourself doesn't mean you have to let them change you. You don't have to go all the way to Taki to learn about the Arai clan, I can probably tell you most of it…but I recommend that you do."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because maybe if you try being someone else for a while you'll realize how great Daagana truly is."

Thankfully, Yuki was waiting outside and didn't look at me any differently as Tsunade walked us out.

"I assume you're staying with the Nara's?" She asked as Shizune quickly caught up with us.

"Mhmm. Shikaku actually said he'd come with me to talk to you but…" I shrugged.

"We both know where he probably is." She sighed and Shizune started to hand her scroll after scroll. "If you find him, tell him to get his sorry ass over here so I don't have to do all his paperwork again." She grumbled as the pair headed back into the building. I bowed to her back.

"Thank you, Hokaga-sama."

* * *

If Nara Shikaku was going to hide from the oppressive women in his life, it had to be somewhere with alcohol. And preferably somewhere where another member of Ino-Shika-Cho was paying the tab. He gulped down a tiny shot of sake and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Another day with no papers to fill out, no schematics to look over, and no Yoshino telling him to put on pants. He raised a hand to tell the bartender to give him another.

"Going a little quick today, don't you think?" Yamanaka Inoichi slapped him on the shoulder, motioning for another one himself. His face was starting to turn pink from the effort of keeping up with Shikaku. Akimichi Choza, on the other hand, was gorging himself on the all-you-can-eat menu. Kushiyaki was sizzling over the table grill and the smell of the agedashi tofu was stinging Shikaku's nose. Choza expertly flipped the beef skewers like the professional eater he was and piled some Yakitori onto a plate and passed it to the Nara. Shikaku accepted them without bothering to ask why. He already knew what Choza was going to say: If you plan on drinking a little more, you should at least eat a little more.

The barkeep filled another tiny cup with tonic and slid it down the bar to Shikaku. Inches before it met his fingers, a small hand intercepted it. Slowly, dreadfully, he turned to stare at those big golden eyes.

"Ohh…hey Gana." He sighed in relief, thankful it wasn't his wife or his Kage. He reached for his cup again but she pulled it away as she sat down next to him in the booth. His team greeted her warmly as she threw back his cup of sake and smacked it down on the table.

"I'm pretty sure you're not old enough to be drinking." Shikaku scowled and snatched the empty cup away. She went to answer but started to cough instead. "Yeah, that _was_ the good stuff." He smirked and motioned for another cup. When she finally calmed down, he saw that she was holding herself more tensely than usual, and it wasn't because of the sake.

"Tsunade-sama wants you to get your ass back to the admin building." The series of events that went through the Nara's mind went as such: _Damn, Tsunade's definitely looking for me today, Daagana was sent to find me so she probably already went to the Admin building and doubtless already talked with Tsunade, meaning she's angry that I didn't go with her even though I said I would, and now she's cussing_ …

"You know it's not very lady-like to have such a foul mouth." Shikaku mused, skipping over the uninteresting parts of the inevitable conversation, and took another drink of sake.

"Disappointing, isn't it?" She snapped, her double entendre slapping him upside the head. Shikaku found it a bit ironic that Daagana was already turning into the woman he'd been dreading she would: a strong, independent, powerful woman. Another sake cup landed on the table but she stole it and downed it before he could bat an eye. Only after two, her ears were bright pink. "Anyway, get to work." She said in a huff and stood. Thankfully, her feet were firmly planted and she didn't sway. If she'd been stumbling, he would have made her sit back down and take another one. No sense in only being a _little_ drunk.

"Aren't you supposed to be on your way to Suna?" Inoichi squinted at her over the rim of his glass.

"No, but since your daughter _is_ , whose running your shop while you get drunk?" She returned.

"It seems to me that you came ready to tango, little sister." Choza chuckled and handed her a Kushiyaki veggie stick. She took it regretfully and sat back down beside Choza on the other side of the table. Shikaku motioned to the bartender again who threw up his hands in annoyance. After a moment he just brought the bottle to the table and left them alone.

"Sorry Inoichi-dono, I didn't mean to snap." She mumbled and munched on her veggie skewer. Classic Choza, always disarming situations before they got out of hand.

"There's no need for apologies, _Natsu no hana_." Inoichi smiled kindly at her. "Shikaku told us that you've had quite the week. A little stress is to be expected."

She scoffed. "A little? Try world shattering."

"You can't stay in the cocoon forever." Choza mused and slid an entire skewer of beef into his mouth with a flick of his wrist. Daagana just shook her head, like she didn't want to hear it, and Shikaku figured after an exchange with Tsunade, she was probably done talking for the day.

After another whole bottle, Shikaku was half leading, half being lead by Daagana and her man Yuki. Her face was red and her eyelids were droopy, but she hadn't said anything else about Taki or her feelings about it. Even through his stooper, Shikaku could tell that Yuki was furious with him for allowing her to drink— might as well call it was it was—getting her drunk. And the Suna Shinobi's glares were nothing compared to Shikaku's wife when she saw them stumbling home. The Merchant had also returned and was equally shocked as Yuki dragged them through the threshold. Daagana was spared Yoshino's wrath of course, and Yuki took her to bed. Meanwhile Shikaku's ears were on the verge of bleeding while his loving, caring wife, screamed into them.

Finally, when Daagana's Chakra signature dimmed into relaxation, Shikaku steeled his expression and corralled his wife.

"Did she stop by after her meeting with Tsunade?" He whispered. Their bedroom was lit by only a small candle, the rest of the house as dark as the night outside.

"No…but I do know she was extremely disappointed that you didn't show up." His wife answered, shedding her slippers and sliding into their bedroll.

"I'll make it up to her. But we have more important things to worry about." He put his hands behind his head and stared hard at the ceiling. To his wife, the panels of the roof were simply stained wood slats, but to Shikaku, they were scribbled with his mental ramblings, a place where he stored his information: the drawing pad of his Mind Palace.

"Daagana… _our_ Daagana, a clan heir from Taki. It could be a massive political scandal." Yoshio nodded into her pillow.

"Do you remember anyone from the Arai clan?" Shikaku asked, trying to obtain more information. One could never have too much information.

"I assume I've met a few but it's been many years. I can try and reach out to some of my contacts in the ANBU but it will be slow, and certainly not enough to keep her from going."

"The question is: _should_ we keep her from going?"

"Yes, of course we should!" Yoshino hissed. "Gana has never had to deal with this type of situation before. Her only idea of family is a sugarcoated fairytale. She doesn't understand that families can use each other, exploit each other."

"I don't think you give her enough credit. She is part of _our_ family, after all." The words and numbers above Shikaku's head swirled.

"What if she gets there and it's the opposite of a happy reunion? What if she gets there and they brainwash her into hating us?" Shikaku sighed as his wife whimpered. Quietly, he reached over and pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair.

"No one can turn her against us. She loves you, and she loves the other people in her life. She would never turn on Suna or Konoha because people like you reached for her when she was broken and scared in her _black_. She will never forget where she came from."

"But what if _who she is_ gets overshadowed by _who she becomes_?" And to that, Shikaku didn't answer.


	8. That is Not My Name!

**_Chapter 8_**

We set out early the next morning, but only after a delicious breakfast and a godsend of headache medicine. Yoshino had packed me a pouch of almonds and gingerroot and told me to eat all of them before I got there. Then she hugged me tight, that look of impending doom lingering in her eyes again. I assured her I'd be just fine, and that I'd be back in a few days to tell her all about it. Isao had not liked that.

We traveled hard for the next two days, the second of which was through the sloping hills of the Northern Fire Country. I had never in my life been this far north of anything, and the landscape began to turn into rocky hills and steep inclines. Finally, after a long hike up a path neither Yuki nor I could detect, Isao stopped triumphantly in front of the mouth of a cave.

"It's a little early to stop for the night." I panted and rested my hands on my head, hoping to open up my chest so I wouldn't suffocate then and there. Why was the air so thin up here!?

"Very astute, my Lady. Right you are. But luckily, we're here." Isao grinned, but didn't move. I looked around. We were on the western side of a large hill, only rocks and weedy grass surrounded us…not exactly a Hidden Village.

"I assume he brought us up here to kill us. If we make the first move, we can be back in Konoha by tomorrow." Yuki mused and whipped out a kunai, swirling it on his finger. Isao paled.

"Says the boy who hates to fight." I chuckled dryly.

"I am in a fighting mood." He returned.

"Aright, Isao. Out with it. We're obviously not there yet." I waved, urging the man on. I wanted to get there before sun down, so I could at least see the village before Gaara destroyed it. By my calculation, we made it to this spot on the second day of Phase II, which meant that I had two, maybe three days before Gaara found out I was gone and came rampaging up the mountain side.

"Remember what I told you, my lady? The only way in or out of Takigakure is through—"

"The cave system." I finished, recalling his history lesson around the fire. "That's why no one has ever invaded."

"And you can get us through?" Yuki asked, still skeptical. He peeked his head into the cave, taking in the dripping stalactites and scurrying rats.

"Of course!" Isao scoffed and entered the mouth of the grotto. "Any true Shinobi from Taki can find their way home through here. Right, my lady?" He winked at me and led us in. I shot Yuki a shrug but he gave me his angry eyes. Only a _true Shinobi from Taki_ would go on an unauthorized mission against the wishes of their Kage… he seemed to say and trudged after the merchant.

'Please let this be worth it.' I prayed as we descended into the darkness.

The cavern was damp and chilly, but it didn't have the smell I knew was suppose to be associated with the moss growing on the walls. Usually that meant that they were disturbed on a regular basis, so I guess it was plausible that this was the entrance to a Hidden Village…a hidden Hidden Village. _Pun_. We traveled for at least an hour, passing more than a dozen off shoots that I'm sure caused plenty of lost people's peril. At one point we even trekked by a massive underground lake. The chamber was like the massive underbelly of the mountain, like it itself was hollow. And from high above there was one lonely beam of light that shone in the middle of the lake from small hole in the top of the peak, a hundred feet up. I paused to appreciate it, but Isao quickly pulled for away from the water, and into the next segment of tunnel.

"Don't get too close." He said and ushered us forward out of the chamber.

"Why?" I asked and tried to look back, but it was already gone.

"Not all of Takigakure's natural defenses are inanimate."

The tunnel grew darker after that and steeper. It was like going up stairs the way my legs were pumping. The walls and ceiling were close, so close that I felt like I was being swallowed up by the mountain. At some point, Yuki, who was behind me, reach up and grabbed my shoulder. Not to stop me or to rush me, but just to make sure that should he need to, he could reach me.

"Isao." I gasped as I paused and leaned against the wall. "Tell me we're there. Tell me I don't have to walk another step." The merchant man didn't even seem fazed, and held my arm. It was hard to see, but I could at least hear Yuki and I's labored breathing. Isao wasn't even panting.

"Almost. Just a little further and we will be able to see the day light."

"I understand no one being able to invade," Yuki heaved, "but how can anyone get here regardless?"

Isao chuckled and continued on. "Taki Ninja are trained to memorize the cave system while they are still in the academy. And if anyone wishes to enter the village peacefully, they can request a guide in the town at the bottom of the mountain."

"Don't you have some sort of teleportation network?" Yuki asked.

"Yes, but it only covers the basin."

"The basin?"

Suddenly, as we rounded a bend, the floor leveled out, and light seared my eyes. I had to squint and massage them, waiting to adjust from the darkness. Up ahead was a short straight hallway and at the end, _more stairs_. But these were distinctly chiseled from the rock, and had intricate designs on the front of each step. And distantly, I heard the sounds of rushing water. Now that there was enough light, I saw that the tunnel had morphed from stone to earth, and roots zigzagged across the ceiling and floor.

"Come. You'll understand once you see it." Isao beckon us forward and we slowly padded up to the stairs. The first thing I saw was a brilliant cloudless sky through the leaves and branches of a hundred trees. And when we finally ascended the steps, I had to stop and tell myself to breathe because this view was taking my breath away.

It was _not_ a hundred trees, it was _one_ huge, massive, gigantic, enormous, mammoth, colossal tree. When I actually turned to take it in, the trunk was a thousand feet wide and I had to look from side to side to see end to end. Its treetop covered the whole sky, and was only broken up by splashes of sunshine. Surrounding the tree trunk were the sprawling roots that probably could have gone on for miles if they didn't run and suddenly descend into the earth. Around the tree and the roots and the rock…was water. We were on an island in the middle of the lake. Or better yet, the tree _was_ the island, and that meant that this must have been the Tree of Jiijii which lived in the middle of Lake Hanasaka, the entrance to Takigakure, the Village Hidden in the Waterfall.

* * *

Yuki had to literally pick his jaw up off the ground as we crossed the bridge that connected the tree island to the main land. Isao had used the word _basin_ , and he was entirely correct. The lake, the tree, and this portion of the village were protected by a large cliff face that, of course, sported hundreds of waterfalls. It surrounded them on all sides, like a bowl or the mouth of a volcano. I wanted to ask how they didn't flood. I wanted to ask how they farmed or trained. I wanted to ask so many questions I couldn't even think of the words. When we reached land, we were met with a Jounin check in station similar to Konoha's. Isao animatedly checked us in and described who we were. The two men in the tiny booth stared at me in shock, but I hardly noticed. There was one central stream, fed by a great waterfall that snaked its way through the center of the village to the lake. Houses or businesses on either side expertly strung up bridges to connect them with the other side. Because of this, the buildings were stretched and had roofs that extended to cover a least the beginning of the bridge. I wondered if it rained often. I wondered if the bridges ever fell. I wondered how you make a bridge in the first place!

"Come on. This way, My Lady." Isao motioned us to follow him as he started across a bridge.

"Oh, don't start with the name calling again, Isao." I said absently.

"Where are we going?" Yuki asked, now analyzing instead of sightseeing. At the other end of the bridge, some villages were standing, staring down into the water. I couldn't see what they were looking at, but it seemed innocent enough until Isao threw his hands out and said:

"Make way! Pass by commoners! Make way for _Arai Azreah_ , true blood heir to the Arai clan!"

"What are you doing?" I hissed from behind him. He grinned back at me sheepishly before moving through the people, all of whom were staring at me. Sorry, not sorry. Isao led us further inland until it looked like we were entering a rich neighborhood. We finally stopped before a large traditional house and entered through the back gardens. Two guards stood beside the sliding door that was elevated a foot off the ground. Yuki helped me up onto the porch as Isao bowed before the door and addressed the person inside.

"My Lord Azito, I have brought your niece, Lady Azreah—" I swallowed hard at that. I guess I didn't think about the fact that this man was my _uncle_ , my father's brother.

" _Daagana_." I whispered and kicked Isao in the ankle. He ignored me. There were a few moments of silence before the door slid open and we were allowed to enter. I slid out of my nin shoes and felt extremely uneasy toeing the smooth Tatami mat. At the end of a long intricately decorated room sat a man, leisurely draped over a pile of cushions. He had jet-black hair that framed his face and bright, golden eyes that stared at me with thinly veiled disgust. Those were _my_ eyes…

Beside him on either side were two girls. Isao stopped roughly half way to him and dropped to his knees in a low, yet ridged bow. I frowned at the man at the end of the room as we stalled for a long moment. This man who didn't move to address us or even release Isao from his Kowtow.

"Azreah, bow!" Isao hissed up at me and I glared at him.

 _That is not my name!_

I looked over at Yuki who had his arms clasped behind his back formally, but I knew that there was a bracelet of Senbon around his wrist under his sleeve and at least a Kunai on each ankle.

I stopped.

I was thinking about this like a Shinobi when I should have been thinking about this like a diplomat. The sand siblings would all be either patting me on the back or yelling at me. Temari would tell me to be tactical and anticipate moves like on a Shogi board, but always be respectful. Kankurou would tell me to go in Jutsu blazing, and Gaara would simply kill the man.

Clearing my throat, I bent to kneel, gave a shallow bow and straightened. Yuki followed suit and sat a little behind me, in line with Isao. Azito barely moved. Gaara would have definitely killed him.

The two girls on Azito's right knew their signal even though I didn't register the man's movement and moved forward with a dignified grace, head down and hands dainty as they placed two gifts in front of me. Both of them were maybe twelve years old and wore matching kimonos, both white. The two girls on the other side of Azito, who remained motionless wore black kimonos and Azito in the middle, lounged in red.

Two items sat before me as the girls retreated back to their original positions: A lacquered box with the Arai clan symbol on it, and a scroll with the Takigakure emblem on it. The Arai clan symbol was a Yin-Yang circle but with a third element swirled in that was clear with a red dot.

I didn't make a move for either token, and I made the decision that I wasn't _going to_ until he addressed me properly, like I had addressed him. We sat in complete silence, the only one who fidgeted was Isao and I wondered if any of these young girls were his sister, his daughter, his niece. He said the Maeda clan had served the Arai for generations, so I assumed he was related to at least one of them.

"So…" Azito finally spoke. His voice was high-pitched, and tight. Strained, like metal scraping metal in my ears. "This is Azumamaru's bastard then?" My frown deepened. This is how it was going to be, huh? "Not even willing to take her Uncle's gifts?"

"First of all," I said tartly, "You are _not_ my uncle. Second, these are not _gifts_." I motioned to the items before me with an angry finger. "And third, you _will not_ call me that again." Everyone squirmed uncomfortably under the stunned silence. Even the girls shifted. Azito smiled darkly.

"It would seem you have some spunk." Gracefully, he sat up from his cushions, each movement like liquid. He was elegant, with pale skin and lengthy limbs. His long fingers picked at the pillow in his lap in unmasked boredom. "Fine, we can drop the performance. You say I am not your uncle? Oh, but I am. I am also the head of this clan, so the next time you address me, you will do it correctly. We are not equals. I am the leader and you are the bastard. You are _nothing_. You will not take this clan from me, so go crawl back beneath whatever rock they found you under." I blinked, ignoring most of the threats in his rant. They hadn't told him where I was from? I glanced back at Isao who was as white as a sheet.

So… Isao knew what I was walking into and he gave me the only advantage he could: he didn't tell them how powerful I actually was. He wanted so badly for me to take over the clan so his family wouldn't have to put up with this urchin sitting across from me, but he couldn't actively plot against his clan leader. Now _that_ was a gift. It was my turn to smile.

"In that case, I guess I just won't address you, because you're right, we aren't equals. This is a Shinobi clan isn't it? Well, so far, I am unimpressed. Why don't you put your fist where your mouth is and we'll see who the real bastard is?" There was a moment's pause when the shock on his face morphed into humor. His lips parted and he let out a howl of a laugh.

"So be it!" Azito chuckled and waved his hand.

Suddenly both sides of the room slid back and we were surrounded by ninja. At least three on each side. I guess that would always be the downfall of these traditional houses: doors for walls.

"Master Azito! Please! You can't do this!" Isao cried but one of the Shinobi advanced, grabbing him by his shirt and threw him through the door, back outside. Walls for doors.

"Do you feel like begging for forgiveness yet?" Azito crooned, but I yawned.

"Not really. How about this:" I offered, "How about, before you tear me limb from limb, we make a deal?"

"Why should I make a deal with the likes of you?"

"Because," I shrugged, "I can kill you with my pinky. It's in your best interest to gamble your way out of this."

Azito began to laugh. A high squeaky chuckle that I didn't want to keep hearing.

"Because you have amused me, I will hear your proposal."

"It's simple really. You step down as clan leader and leave Takigakure forever, never to return…or I'll kill all of you."

"Daagana…" Yuki whispered behind me, and I glanced back.

"Go find Isao. Make sure he's okay." The boy breathed a sigh of relief and quickly retreated through the hole in the wall to find the merchant. Azito had the look of someone who was half mad, smiling but deadly.

"Not wise, sending your body guard outside."

"I'm more like his body guard." I smirked.

"Then I will kill him while your body is still warm!"

* * *

"Well that confrontation certainly didn't last as long as I thought it would." Yuki crossed his arms. He stood a little ways from the koi pond beside a seated Isao, who was nursing his arm.

"It's not like there were that many of them. And I've yet to meet someone who can fight well in the dark." I said as I slid the door closed with a _click_. I leaned against it for a moment, willing my head to stop spinning. I'd used too much _black_ on this one. Once the side doors had shut, they were literally sealed in their tomb. The whole room had been flooded with darkness and I killed all the guards before Azito could think to pick himself up from his pillows.

"Did you kill him?" Isao asked from the ground. His eyes were large, and they showed both his fear and relief.

"Isn't that what you brought me here to do?" I cocked an eyebrow at him as I sat down on the edge of the porch.

"No!" He cried and then winced. "I just wanted…we thought that…you could just take over and…" It was naïve of him and I couldn't help but sigh and shake my head.

"Oh stop with the pouty face. I left Azito alive." I scoffed at him. It was a baby lie…half dead was still half alive, right? "Although, really, Isao. The next time you ask a girl to usurp a throne, at least tell her she can kill _a few_ people."

As Yuki helped Isao up and he led us to presumably another portion of the Arai neighborhood, I hung back. I waved them off, saying I would be right behind them, but when they were both out of earshot, I ran behind the garden wall and threw up.

It was the first time in almost two years that I had…

Since the night that I had…

Each of the guard's faces blazed before my eyes and etched themselves on my brain. Six.

I had killed six people…

The first lives I'd taken since I killed my mother.


	9. The Lying Conniving Hand

**_Chapter 9_**

These people were beautiful. All of them. Crazy, insane, and mad, but extraordinary! Four tables were set into a big square in the garden with little pillows to keep us from sitting on the wet grass. Children ran around the tables, weaving in and out of the flower bushes. People milled about, chatting with cousins, sisters, nephews, uncles, brothers. The Maeda Clan was _huge_. After I had overthrown their current leader, I was immediately appointed as the new one, despite my fervent rejections.

I was seated in the middle of the table, with Yuki on my right and Isao on my left. Fireflies danced around the yard and the children chased after them in unbridled delight. The Koi pond lightly rippled as a golden fish broke the surface before disappearing again. Everything here was so peaceful and _alive_. I learned from the many people who spoke _at_ me that the members of the Maeda clan present were intermixed with members of the Arai clan. With Azito gone, there didn't have to be a distinction of class and I was automatically credited for it.

Speaking of the prick, apparently Taki Shinobi had kicked him out of the village shortly after he crawled out of his former house. I asked Isao who actually had that authority to do such a thing and he told me their Village leader's name was Shibuki and that I would meet him tomorrow, when they took me on a tour of my _new_ home.

"Isao…" I grabbed his sleeve as he talked excitedly over the table to some women about where they would take me first and what parts of the village I _had_ to see. The fire in his eyes died as I sighed apologetically, "I'm not staying."

"But…you must." He took my hand in his. The sincerity turned my blood cold and I pulled away.

"Your village is beautiful." I said, as people gathered closer to hear me speak. "It's very different from Suna, where I live. Everything here breathes life and promise."

"Then why not stay?" Isao asked. I smiled at him, and then to everyone around us. And finally my smile landed on Yuki who was gazing at me sourly.

"Because this is not my home." _Go to Taki, abdicate, go home_. "I am from the desert. I was born there, I was raised there. I grew up in the sand and the wind, among the cacti and the giant scorpions." People's eyes widened. "Your waterfalls and streams are stunning but also a gross waste of natural resources in my mind." Yuki barked out a laugh before shaking his head. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. This place was magnificent but so was Suna, and Suna was home. How could something that was forged from nothing, sprung up from desolation to prosper, not be just as striking as something that flowed with every natural advantage? " _But_ ," I said and stood. The children stopped running. Woman stopped gossiping. The men even stopped drinking. Everyone was focused on me, on what I was going to say, because at least for that moment…I was their heiress. "As my first and _only_ act as your clan leader, I appoint Maeda Isao as _steward_ of the Arai clan until another member comes of age." A shock and awe reaction rippled through the crowd as I went to sit down, but then hopped up again. "Oh, and that member has to be voted on, because I'm not coming back to get rid of another Azito!" Yuki's face was in his hands and I saw his shoulders shake in laughter…and maybe there were a few tears between his fingers, but I leaned over and hugged his neck.

* * *

The next morning, Isao dragged me out of bed to show me the village anyway. We didn't mention the fact that I wasn't staying, and he didn't let it dampen his enthusiasm as he pointed out all the lovely sights: The Hero Water Shrine, their training academy, the docks where the crystal clear water lapped at the shore…this place truly was spectacular, and the man who ran it all was standing at the end of the pier shaking hands with a fisherman.

"Oi! Shibuki-sama!" Isao jogged over the rickety boards towards a man with dark brown hair and blue semi-traditional robes. I lagged behind a bit, marveling at the little fish swimming around the leg of the dock. I bent down and poked the surface and wondered at the ripples that expanded. As the water stilled, I saw Yuki standing behind me in the reflection, his face blank.

"You can stay." He said quietly and I whipped my head around to him.

" _What_?" I cried and stood.

"This place, these…people. Life here would be much better for you than in Suna." He mumbled and stared blankly at his feet. Angrily, I scoffed at him.

"Seriously? You're mistaking better for easier. I've made my decision, Yuki. The last thing I need is for you to switch sides. God…" I shook my head and stormed off towards Isao and the Taki leader.

What the hell was he playing at? This whole time, freaking out about whether or not I would stay, and suddenly, he's okay with it? He thinks it's a fine idea? I threw an angry glare back over my shoulder at him, but he had not followed. In fact, Yuki hadn't moved an inch. He just stood still, staring hard at his feet. I slowed my pace.

What _was_ he playing at?

Sunagakure was rooted in the middle of the biggest and meanest desert in the world. Our walls were high and weather worn, our people, a bit sour but proud. Perhaps the only natural resources we had were extraordinary Shinobi and sand. We had to trade and fight for our water and food supplies, not to mention the giant import industry we didn't have an export industry to counterbalance. Takigakure, on the other hand, compared to Suna, was like a Day Spa. The same difference between an Orchid and a Cactus. Water literally flowed out of every crevice, and because of that, the earth was fertile and its people prospered. The basin provided them with a natural defense, and the Hero Water Shrine was obviously a sign that the spiritual energy here was pure and strong.

So what was he getting at?

Exactly what he had said.

Life here would be better.

I wouldn't have to go another waking hour skimping past the poor side so I wouldn't catch sight of my old house. I wouldn't have to deal with all the people who only want to use me as a mouthpiece to Gaara. I wouldn't be a nobody, I would be someone special here. Important…

But I'd be alone.

"Yuki—"

"Lady Azreah!" Isao called from the end of the dock. My friend turned his head as I was cut off, and his eyes were full of sorrow.

"It's _Daagana_." I snapped at them both. At Isao who would not let this go and to Yuki who looked like he needed to be reminded. I had made my choice: Suna was home. And we were going _home_. But at this point…who was I trying to convince?

Isao ignored me and brought before us, Shibuki, leader of Takigakure. He had long brown hair and black eyes. His face held an easy smile as he stretched a hand out for me to shake.

"Lady Daagana, it's a pleasure." I grabbed his hand.

"Glad to see not everyone here is deaf." I jeered at Isao who chuckled nervously.

"Quite the opposite. I've heard rather a lot about your actions yesterday at the Arai compound. I'm very impressed and would like to thank you for doing a job I couldn't." He dipped into a small bow before smiling at me again…still shaking my hand.

I really wanted my hand back.

"What do you mean?" I said as I began to pull away, but he held my grip firm. It was seriously beginning to weird me out.

"While I may be the leader of Taki, I have no business in clan matters, even when they affect the village. I'm not a Kage after all. Not like Gaara-sama." I stopped resisting and stared at him, shocked. His face was genuine, with no intent of anything but all the words he wasn't saying:

He knew exactly who I was, and he was grateful that I took care of this for him. It was apparent that Azito had been the _only_ one who didn't know where I was from and who I was there. I felt Yuki at my back in an instant, sensing my discomfort, but I willed myself into composure. There was no threat here. Just a friendly handshake that never seemed to end and an entire dialogue of subliminal messages. "Come! You must be hungry." Shibuki finally said and released my hand, gesturing back towards the village. "I'm sure Isao dragged you out of the compound before treating you to a proper breakfast."

"Well I would have!" Isao cried as we made our way back down the pier. "But the Lady likes her sleep and I didn't want to wake her—"

Shibuki's hair was long—longer than mine, and I really wasn't sure what to think about it…but I liked it, and I liked him, even though he started off a little creepy. As a part of his thanks for my ' _service'_ , he offered to tell me about my heritage, since he himself was a relative of the Arai clan. Isao had complained, saying he wanted to show me the village, and fill me in on all of its secrets, but Shibuki assured him that afternoon brunch wouldn't interrupt his annoying plans.

How wrong he turned out to be was astounding.

We were sitting in a teashop, watching children chase each other in the street when he said it. At the time I was more concerned with how many children there seemed to be here. Not that there weren't children in Suna, but they all reminded me of Beju—temperamental and serious.

"Usually the Arai clan practiced pure bloodlines: marrying one of the first cousins or something similar, but about five generations ago I believe, quite a scandal broke out."

"So these indecencies are a common occurrence, then?" I laughed. Shibuki smirked as well but he said,

"No, the clan rules are very strict, but your Great-great-great Grandfather, I think, Arai Azusa ran away with a woman he had fallen madly in love with." The way he said it made me believe it was true, and the manner in which his eyebrows danced didn't hurt.

"How very romantic." I said and leaned back against the wall of the shop, putting just a little bit more distance between me and the _face_ that I understood so well. It was the scheming face. For what yet, I wasn't sure, but the fact that I didn't think I would hate the reason made me lean that much further away. Yuki sat on the other end of the table and spun his finger around the rim of his cup, not noticing the exchange. Ever since the pier he hadn't said anything, and his expression remained as placid as ever.

"Yes," Shibuki mused on, "It was their offspring that first introduced the _Kurai Ririsu_ into the family."

"The what?" I asked as I reached for my cup and took a sip of tea.

"The clans Kekkei Genkai, of course." With a startled gasp, I inhaled the tea and nearly choked to death. Coughing, I pounded on my chest. Yuki's head jerked up as he swiftly slid down the bench and slapped my back a few good times.

 _What!_

The Arai clan had a Kekkei Genkai? But I was an Arai, and I didn't have any special powers. No Dojutsus or unexplained birthmarks; just my curse scar and dry skin as far as I knew.

Shibuki continued like I hadn't tried to breathe underwater. "We think it must have been the mysterious woman's bloodline. When it mixed with the Arai, well, it just seemed the stars aligned and all of their children had the trait, the _Kurai Ririsu_." I think he said it again just for dramatic effect…or to see if I would die again.

"The Dark Release?" I rasped and Shibuki nodded happily.

"Yes. Sometimes called the Shade Style, it is a specialized nature transformation Kekkei Genkai that can be used to absorb, manipulate, and release Chakra taken from an opponent."

"Do you have it?" I asked.

"Oh no. Only the original family line has it." It would seem that I had been correct about the scheming face. He didn't offer me money, or a free pass for my help; he offered to tell me about my _history_. A history he knew that I knew nothing of. It was a test—bait.

"Did my… _father_ have it?" I stumbled over the word, not realizing it may have been the first time I ever said it out loud.

"No." He said and I sighed in relief—"But your grandfather did, and they learned the hard way that it skips a generation every time." Before I had a full on panic attack, Shibuki put his devious hand on my arm. "That must be why Azumamaru did what he did. He knew you were destined to have the trait, so he risked everything."

"B-but I don't!" I cried.

"Maybe you do, you just never knew—"

I stood so abruptly that I nearly knocked over the bench and Yuki with it. Shibuki's hand fell from my shoulder as I stumbled out to the street. His treacherous, conniving, hand. Maybe he was lying.

Yes. That was it.

Of course he was. Kekkei Genkai's are not something that just randomly appear when you realize you have them. You have them all along. I've had it all along—

No.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't see or hear the fish cart coming before the man cried out and collided with me. I was thrown to the ground with a massive weight on top of me and a fish slapping me upside the face. But it was only for a brief moment before the huge man was off me and Yuki was pulling me out from underneath a pile of fresh fish.

"Gana—"

 _"Hey! Get out of the road!" Someone yelled at me. I turned around and—_

 _"Get out of the road!" A man bellowed in my face. He pulled a cart and I was obviously in his path._

 _"Sorry." I said and retreated to the side of the road._

 _An old woman sitting on a rug beside me looked up at me with a glare._

 _"What are you looking at? Fuketsuna no gomi." My heart stopped and I stared at the woman wide-eyed._

 _"What did you say?" I asked, shocked._

 _"What? You think just because we are allies again means we will trust your filthy people? Did you really think we would believe you again? After what you did to us?"_

I shoved away from Yuki and swung around to the man, ready to end him…but he was bowing.

"My lady! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!" He cried and bowed again.

No one could understand why I was so angry, or why my knuckles were turning white from clenching so hard. When I didn't answer the man, he quickly went about righting his cart and picking up as many fish as he could before scampering off. I must have truly looked scary because he left some behind and it stared at me. Shibuki came swaggering up a few moments later, while _none_ of my anger subsided.

"I want proof." I hissed at him over my shoulder. "I want to see your records. As a clan head, I demand it."

"Now, now…there's no need to be rash. Unless you actually mean that, I would quickly clarify." He smirked and I wanted to punch it right off his face. This was all a game to him!

" _Just show me the damn records_." I seethed, while he sighed dramatically.

"This is really not working out like I had expected." Despite my best efforts, _black_ began to seep out of my hand. My self-control was cracking under the fury of being played like this. Yuki quickly grabbed my hand in his. The tealish tint of his cancelling Chakra turned my _black_ into small onyx petals that floated to the ground harmlessly, and melted out of existence. "Careful, Daagana. Remember where you are." Shibuki's tone turned sharp, but I still glared at him.

"I know exactly where I am." And that may be the only thing I _did_ know at that point.

"Then calm down." Shibuki sighed and scratched the back of his head. The gesture seemed off with the personality I had attached to that scheming face of his. "I'm sorry. It would seem that this wasn't the right way to go about this. It was Isao's idea…to shock you into staying."

"My god! You people!" I cried and threw my hands in the air in defeat. The _black_ stopped seeping out of my pores and Yuki breathed a sigh of relief.

"I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Shibuki chuckled nervously. "Of course you will have access to the records should you wish, but I can do you one better."

"How?" I asked, still angry.

"I would like to introduce you to your Great Aunt. She is one of the last Arai in her generation to have the _Kurai Ririsu._ "

* * *

I was still mad. I want to point that out now. I was going to beat Isao senseless, and Shibuki wasn't at the top of my favorites list either…but he was climbing, as he led us through the village towards a very old neighborhood. People greeted us warmly as we past and it seemed that the further inland we went, the older the mean age grew. Shibuki was always the gentleman though, and he knew everyone by name. We would stop every other villager or so and have a small chit chat about their sick cat or the weather. His people absolutely adored him…and his scheming face.

My Great Aunt, huh? I was skeptical. Tsunade-sama hadn't mentioned that my father had any powerful aunts…then again she hadn't mentioned much at all.

Finally we reached what looked to be the base of a cliff face, possibly the wall of the basin itself, and just a ways up a rocky path sat a very old, very traditional house. The slight upturn on all four corners of the roof was more of a dilapidated slant. Time had no doubt stolen most of its luster. The shingles that looked like they had once been red, were now worn and some were even missing. The raised porch looked more like an ankle death trap than a patio and there was no door! I had to stop and stare at Shibuki in disbelief. So Yuki had been right all along! They _had_ brought us all the way up here to kill us!

"I know what you're thinking." Shibuki chuckled.

"I seriously doubt that." I muttered as he continued.

"But, Azumi-sama refuses to live anywhere else, or even to let anyone fix it up for her. She insists that it stay just like her father built it."

"Azumi…Azumamaru…Azito…Azreah—are you sensing a pattern?" I huffed at Yuki. "Because I'm sensing a pattern."

"There is definitely a pattern—" Yuki sneered as he crossed his arms but he was cut off by a voice from within the hut.

"One you should be proud of, Daughter of Azumamaru!"


	10. Hope Entrusted to the Future

**_Chapter 10_**

"I feel like they'd run out of names eventually." I whispered to Yuki who snorted. We sat at a low table in the hut, having been abandoned by Shibuki to the mysterious Arai Azumi. The old woman wore robes very similar to the elder robes of Suna, but instead of the natural brown or tan, she opted for a royal blue. Symbolic of Taki I guess. She had her back to us, busy making us tea or rice balls maybe. At this point I wasn't really sure what to expect from her when she turned around. I already insulted a clan tradition, she already yelled at me for it, and we hadn't even seen each there face to face yet! She was just as likely to turn around with a kunai as she was with rice balls.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of my telling bad (nervous) jokes to Yuki under my breath, she turned around with a small tray of fish.

And it was the same _god damn fish_ that had stared at me in the street only a few hours before. I gaped at it open mouthed as she set it gingerly on the table. I didn't notice her keen gold eyes or the scar that ran from the left corner of her mouth all the way down her chin. I didn't see her silver hair was still sprinkled with strands of gold or the necklace of pearls that she wore. All I could see was that stupid fish, and wonder how she knew…

"Now that I have your attention," Her voice was light and thick, like honey. "I would like to formally introduce myself: I am Arai Azumi, Granddaughter of Arai Azaki, known throughout the village as 'Azaki the First'."

"Why?" I asked without thinking. Her gaze was steady on me and I felt like a bug under a magnifying shard. That was a stupid question, and we both knew it, but I couldn't figure out how to suck the words back in.

"Because, as the oldest son of Azusa and Sarada, he was the first in the world with the _Kurai Ririsu_."

Yuki fidgeted uncomfortably as Azumi's golden eyes lazily shifted over to him. "I would like to speak with my niece alone, if you don't mind, Suna-nin." His eyebrows shot up in protest but before he could insist, I nodded, dismissing him. I think I actually heard his teeth grind together in anger as he swiftly stood and disappeared behind the flap of fabric that was the door. "A bit testy for a lover I would say, but who knows what the kids like these days." She sighed and waved.

I blinked. "Wait…what? Me and Yuki? Oh, no, no, no. Yuki is my bodyguard. He was actually assigned to me _by_ my lo—boyfriend. My boyfriend…Gaara. The Kazekage." I was rambling, but her face never changed. She didn't show the shock that was usually associated with Gaara's name and it just made me more nervous. Again the thought of him squeezed my chest but I pushed it down. As much as I missed him, I couldn't think about that right now. I had to focus on this woman who made the atmosphere around us feel like it was building, crackling and sizzling. I felt on edge and more anxious by the second, but all she actually _did_ was stare at me.

* * *

Gaara fell to his knees as Hoichi's Fuinjutsu chains tightened around the Shukaku's spirit. It was like his insides were being ripped out. Every vein and fiber of his body was burning and tightening trying to keep its self together, and Gaara knew Fuu felt the same way as she writhed on the ground beside him. So she possessed Chomei, the seven tails…

Stupid girl—

He told her to stay away! To save herself! But his friend wouldn't have done that, she said. Naruto wouldn't have stayed away while he needed help, while he underestimated the power of his enemies and overestimated his own.

"Ninja art: Cocoon…" Fuu whispered and held up a hand sign. Suddenly dragon fly wings sprouted from her back and vibrant blue chakra shot out from them. It flew up and around, whirling in a vicious storm until they were completely incased in what looked to be…well…a cocoon.

"This is…" Gaara stumbled as he tried to stand, but the pressure of the cable made his legs weak.

"My power. But it isn't enough to break the chakra chain." Fuu answered for him. And she was right. The glowing chain links were still connected to them and the safety of the shell had formed around the cords. "It's just to try and buy us some time." She added. Outside their covering, Gaara heard the strings of Hoichi's Biwa resonate louder than before. The red haze around the chains began to glow even brighter in his attempt to make his connection stronger, but at the same time, the rate at which they pulled began to slacken, and Gaara felt like he could breath again.

"What did you do?" He looked down at Fuu's whose cheerful face did not match the hopelessness of their situation.

"I made a bubble out of my chakra. My cocoon is a complicated tangle of super fine chakra threads and it weakened the chain's absorption just like I thought it would." She smiled triumphantly.

"But it didn't stop it." Gaara said evenly. "The rate of chakra being sucked out has definitely slowed down and lessened the pain but, eventually, our Tailed Beasts will be extracted…and we'll die." The thought of death had crossed his mind constantly since he took his first steps into the desert against his sibling's wishes. The world, it seemed, was out to get him for one reason or another, but that hadn't stopped him from trying to prove it he had changed.

But the same blast of courage he felt at facing death now brought with it a tantalizing fear of being alone…again…forever. In death there was no smirking at his sister's blush when her would-be boyfriend came to town. In death there was no shoveling all the responsibilities he could on his brother to keep him out of trouble, and in death, there were no friends: no Naruto and no Daagana.

Before he could even voice these realities to Fuu, who clearly did not grasp them, she slung her hands behind her head like it was a day at the beach.

"Negative thoughts aren't good." She laughed. "I'm sure someone will come to save us!"

"How can you be so positive?" Gaara sighed, trying desperately to at least heed her advice a little bit.

"Someone once told me that I was born special!" She grinned happily, but her optimism was only getting on his nerves.

"No one will come to help us."

"Don't say such things!" She snapped and jumped to her feet, her chain leash twinkling as she did. Then she went and did the most unhelpful thing she could: She started calling for help. "Hey! Is someone out there?" Her loud voice scraped against his ears and he grimaced. It was too high-pitched, too happy, too willing, too much like…Naruto's. He crossed his arms.

"Your voice won't travel through your cocoon." She deadpanned for a moment, realizing she had both saved _and_ trapped them at the same time. Oops…

But dear God if she wasn't the blonde's sister, Gaara didn't know what the universe was thinking making two of them, because she rose back to her feet with a fire only Lee could conjure after running around the village two hundred times—

"Fine! Alright then! I'll just have to pull this out with brute strength!" She grabbed at her chain and began to pull and struggle with it. Gaara only watched out of the corner of his eye, silently hoping she would be successful…until she twisted herself up in the chain to confusingly that she fell over in a pile. "We'll have to wait to be rescued after all." She withered from the ground. Gaara nearly facepalmed.

"No matter how long we wait, no one from Suna will come to our aid." He gruffed, not even willing to turn around and face her now as she tried to untangle herself.

"Again with those negative thoughts." She muttered.

"Would you still say that if you knew the person attacking us is from the Sand?" Because it was true. Gaara recognized Hoichi after the first few moments of staring at him in shock. He was a couple of years older and they never ran in the same circles, even after Gaara became the Kage. It was apparent that they had always been two ships passing in the night, but Gaara knew who Hoichi's master was, knew who was to blame for this.

"What! Are you serious?" Fuu yelled and Gaara grimaced.

"In the past, the only way I could relate to others was with hate and the desire to kill. Now that I am the Kazekage some believe that I will rule through fear and are trying to kill me. It can't be helped." Fuu was nosily trying to unwrap herself, and he wasn't sure she was listening, but it needed to be said. He needed her to understand that there was no one… "I'm the one who brought it on. If I have any regrets, it's only that I wish people knew how much I was trying to change."

 _You have changed and they would be fools not to see it…_

Daagana had said in their kitchen. She, who had seen him at his worst, had watched the bloodlust fade from his eyes. She had seen the change, she said so. So how was it that the rest of the world hadn't?

It was probably because she loved him. That had to be it.

Her judgment was clouded by love. But then that begs the question…how could she possibly love him, if he _hadn't_ changed?

In a fury, Fuu jumped to her feet, now free of chains.

"You said your friend taught you, right? Didn't he teach you that you could share and understand the pain, suffering and happiness of others?" Instantly, a 12-year-old Naruto flashed before Gaara's eyes, his forehead bloody and his huge blue eyes watering.

"…yes. He did." Gaara whispered. "But it's different for a Jinchuriki."

"That's not true! I'm sure it will all work out! Even a Jinchuriki can make a hundred friends!" She raised her fist to him in confirmation, her orange eyes beaming. She believed every word she was saying and all Gaara could think was…they're alike after all.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting around to die, the chains connected to their spirits gave a nauseating jolt, and the next moment, something penetrated the cocoon. Gaara jumped up and put himself between Fuu and the opening that was being sliced until Hyuuga Neji from the Hidden Leaf came sliding through the green goo. Through the gap they could hear the outside world again and Gaara heard Daagana's friend, TenTen ask if they were all good.

"Are you alright?" Neji asked.

"See! Someone came after all!" Fuu jumped up, but Gaara didn't share her excitement.

"I gave strict orders not to tell anyone…" His thoughts turned to Matsuri and her team. While Neji may have been a god-send, this was not the end game Gaara had planned.

"Don't be angry with your subordinates." Neji said and bowed his head. "They were worried sick about you." Gaara huffed a sigh of disbelief as Neji turned his Byakugan to the other Jinchuriki in the shell. His all-seeing eyes gazed upon their chakra network with a grimace. "I thought as much. This chain has penetrated your chakra points, and they are causing direct damage to the chakra network." Neji squinted a little more as Fuu shied away from his gaze. "They're controlling the flow of chakra through the points and siphoning away your Tailed Beast's Chakra."

"We know." Gaara said curtly. "And eventually the Bijuu's chakra will be weakened enough that he will be able to extract the Beasts themselves."

"Can you help?" Fuu asked Neji.

"Bijuu or otherwise, chakra is chakra. If we plug the points that are being used to siphon out the beast, we may be able to stop the flow." Gaara's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he recalled his first set of Chuunin exams. Neji had been a different Shinobi back then as well, and Gaara recalled the little points on Hinata's arms that Neji had left after plugging all of her chakra points.

"Is this possible?" He asked.

"Yes. It'll be tricky, but it's worth a try." Neji nodded.

"Then do it." Gaara ordered and Fuu shook her head, her defiant smile back where it belonged.

Slowly, Neji urged more blood to rush into the veins around his eyes as he scanned the Kazekage's body for the chakra point to plug. It blinked sluggishly at the base of the chain, one of the core points. Bending his knees and shifting his body, Neji reared his hand back and unleashed his Gentle Fist: Chakra Point Needle. But the moment his needle sank into the chakra point, his hand was shot back by an electrical current. He back peddled a few steps as Gaara's eyes widened.

"What happened?" Shaking his hand out, Neji smirked a bit.

"The Tailed Beast Chakra is so powerful that it repelled me." He wiggled his fingers but they were numb. "I didn't think it would be this strong!" Silently, Neji thought back to _his_ first Chuunin Exam as well, and relived his moment of glory battling Naruto's Tail Beast Chakra. It was immensely powerful, and it made sense that these two other Jinchuriki's Chakra would be just as potent.

"Please don't give up! We're counting on you!" Fuu cried.

Neji reeled back for another blow, concentration that much harder on his own Chakra stability. His fingers found the point perfectly a second time, but this time, he didn't let the shock send him back. He kept forcing his own chakra into the point to disrupt the flow until the point went dark, and the glowing red energy of the chain died away.

"Got it! You're next Fuu." Neji said and quickly went to her, leaving Gaara out of breath and weak kneed. After Fuu was free, the chains broke away and retreated out of the cocoon, back towards their master. Fuu gave Gaara one of her best thumbs up before they all filed out of the shell.

As Gaara walked behind Neji, he saw Hoichi tumbled down the cliff face, wrapped in his own Fuinjutsu incantations. Apparently, with them no longer connected to Jinchuriki power, they attacked the energy Hoichi had already stored within himself. Gaara's first thought was anger, and sand began to sift under his feet, but his second thought—the one that stilled the earth—was of Daagana.

 _She_ knew he had changed. She never had any doubts about him, but the people who still did needed to see proof, experience it for themselves. So Gaara asked Neji not to kill him as the Leaf ninja advanced on the Sand priest.

"You have my thanks, Neji." Gaara huffed as he crossed his arms. The two other Taki ninja grabbed the barely alive Hoichi and headed for Suna. They would keep him alive just as Gaara asked. "Imagine, being rescued by you." Neji smirked a little at the irony before Lee came over to ask if everyone was all right.

"We're okay now! Thanks to you!" Fuu cheered.

"Lord Gaara! I'm so happy you're safe!" Matsuri cried as ran up to him.

"Matsuri performed admirably today." Neji turned a knowing look to the Kage and Gaara smiled. His student grinned back and started talking excitedly with TenTen and Lee while Gaara's gaze landed back on Fuu. Her cocoon had saved his life and he slowly bowed his head to her.

 _Even a Jinchuriki could have one hundred friends._

* * *

It was a staring contest. Golden eyes versus Golden eyes. I'm sure she could challenge that she was older but somehow I bet I had lived more life than her. Then again…maybe not. She spoke first, which was a relief, because I wasn't sure my voice worked yet.

"So tell me about yourself. Who is it that you think you are?" Her fluid movements reminded me of Azito, and I braced myself for another confrontation.

"My name is Daagana and I'm from the Hidden Sand."

"Your name is Azreah and you belong here, in the Hidden Waterfall."

"I'm not staying." I snapped.

"You haven't even considered it."

"Haven't even— _lady_. I don't belong here."

"It would seem that you don't think you belong anywhere." I opened my mouth to roar back at her, but shut it with a _click_. What was it with these people?

She must have taken my silence as contemplation because she continued on like I hadn't even defied her. "I suppose your whore of a mother has died? It was about time, I think." And there was nothing I could do to stop it, although to say I tried would be a lie. _Black_ seeped out from the pillow I was kneeling on as my eyes focused solely on the spot between hers. In turn, those eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "So it's true…" she whispered.

"Gana?" I heard Yuki's worried voice from outside.

"Stay out." I growled as the tentacles of my power began to swirl around her, kissing her cheeks, breaking against her back, filling the whole room with a hurricane of darkness. Finally, when all you could see was my head and her head, floating in an ocean of obscurity, I snickered. "This _is_ what you wanted, isn't it? To see what I am capable of?" For a moment, we went back to staring at each other, pretending we weren't in a house full of gas and I was wasn't holding a match. "Are you impressed yet?" I hissed.

"Quite." And then the oddest sensation flitted over my skin. It was like suction, like someone had stuck a vacuum hose to every single pore on my body and was pulling out the _black_. I felt desperate and out of breath. It was a huge rush to the head as the darkness swirled around us and instead of retreating to its source, it simply faded away…

The room was clear. We still sat on our little pillows in her run down shack on the edge of the village. I could still feel Yuki pacing outside like a caged animal, and I was still full of black…but I felt lighter.

"Wha…What just—"

"I apologize for my earlier comment. I never did meet your mother, although I did struggle with her aftermath for some time." Azumi heaved a big sigh and reached forward for a piece of fish. How could she eat?

"But, h-how—"

"How did I do that? I simply pitted your Kekkei Genkai against my own." She chuckled.

"My—no wait, I don't—"

"Oh but you do." My words weren't working. No sentences were forming. No thoughts could be brought together to ask her…how, when, why, why dear god why. "You are right though. That boy is pacing like a wild animal." She said and I paled.

I had thought that, about Yuki, hadn't I?

Hadn't I?

"Yes, but perhaps I should start again by explaining." She shoved the fish in her mouth gracelessly and chewed it scales and all. "As I said before, I am Azumi, granddaughter of Azaki the First. As his pupil I learned to master my Kekkei Genkai and the powers it granted me. One of which is this." I expected her to show me something or motion to something to draw my attention but she didn't move. I looked all around her to try and figure out what she was so masterful at but…

"Is what?" I finally asked. As the words left my mouth the whole world shimmered. It looked like I was staring at the surface of the river outside, like if I touched anything it would cause a ripple.

So I did.

I poked at the fish on the table and watched as the ripples spread out from its scales to the table to the floor to my legs, which distorted as the wave lapped again and again. "This is—"

"A simple Genjutsu. The _Kurai Ririsu_ is chakra manipulation based, yes, but it also has deep ties to the alternate world of illusions." I poked the fish again and watched the world warp.

"I don't think I've ever performed a Genjutsu in my life." I muttered as the table and walls undulated.

"And why would you need to? You have your…" She looked like she was searching for the words.

"We call it the _black_." I offered.

"The _black_ …I should like to hear that story next."

Suddenly the ripples fractured and shattered into a million pieces as a blinding white light enveloped the room for a split second. When the moment past, we were back in her hut, the normal regular hut, where all the walls were stationary and the plate on the table was empty.

"The fish!" I exclaimed and grabbed the plate, half expecting it to swirl away, but my fingers snubbed on the table.

"The plate was always empty. The Jutsu simply manifested your subconscious. I wanted to see something that would shock you. It was actually quite surprising to see one of Gunta's White Carp staring back at us. Did you meet him?"

"Uhh…y-yes. We bumped into each other earlier."

"He is a nice man. But nice men aside, I would like to know how you came into the possession of this _black_." I set the plate back down, defeated. She was so far beyond my ability to keep up and it was exhausting trying to be so defiant. So I told her.

"Giia tried to kill me when I was seven, but she performed the curse wrong. When I woke up, I had powers." Azumi's eyes were huge.

"Your mother tried to _kill_ you?"

"She wasn't exactly…loving." I mumbled and shifted. My knees were falling asleep from kneeling for so long and excreting _black_ and not reabsorbing it.

"What curse did she use? How did she do it wrong?" Azumi leaned forward in earnest and I leaned back in discomfort.

"The _Jun Chi Noroi_ as far as we know. Baki's kept all the research under lock and key so—"

"Oh my dear. Oh my…" Azumi stood and rounded the table to me.

"What? _What_?"

"What a terrifying coincidence. Giia used a chakra-based curse on a girl with a chakra manipulation Kekkei Genkai. My child. She did not do it _wrong_ —you were _immune_."


	11. Azreah the Third

**_Chapter 11_**

"Focus…Focus…Foc—"

"If you tell me to focus one more time, I'm going to drown you in _black_." Daagana's brilliant gold eyes snapped open and glared at Yuki. They sat crossed legged at Azumi's table. He had finally been allowed inside again, but only after he charged in, hearing what Azumi had said. Hearing what Daagana had said.

 _'Giia tried to kill me when I was seven'_.

No one had ever told Yuki how Daagana had gotten her powers, and it wasn't his place to question his Kage. His orders were just to protect her at all costs…and to protect everyone else _from_ her as well. It would seem the Sand Siblings had conveniently left out the part about her mother trying to kill her. In retrospect, everyone _knew_ that Daagana was abused as a child, that piece of information was apparent by her obvious mommy issues but this…

"Well I wouldn't have to keep telling you if you would just do it." Yuki muttered. He sat on a cushion, holding out his hands about a foot from one another. Between his palms rotated a blue ball of Chakra. His family was not only famous for their ' _Kyanseru'_ , they were also known for being able to make their spiritual energy visible. So here he sat, with a radiant ball of Chakra between his hands, trying to help Daagana realize her Kekkei Genkai.

"Yes, because you telling me to focus over and over is going to help." She growled, but shut her eyes again in concentration. Azumi rummaged around in her back room, occasionally sticking her head out to see if her great-niece had made any progress. The point of this exercise, the grandma had explained, was for Daagana to manipulate someone else's Chakra, absorb and transform something other than her _black_ , which didn't really count as spiritual energy anyway. Yuki always thought it had to be the opposite—irreverent energy, like Daagana alone was the Yin to a whole world of Yang.

For a fraction of a second, so quick he thought he imagined it, a whisper of _black_ appeared in his Chakra and then disappeared. Yuki quickly looked up at Daagana but her eyes were still closed. In fact, her eyebrows were crashing down on her brow in an intense concentration. Beads of sweat slid down her temples and her lips were pursed into a pale line.

"Gana…" Yuki whispered, but it was like she didn't hear him. "Gana." He tried louder, but she didn't stir. " _Daagana_!" Yuki's chakra manifestation dissipated and he reached forward and grabbed her shoulder, shaking it.

For a brief moment after her eyes slid open, the entirety of her sclera was black. It covered her iris and descended into the black hole of her pupil…And then it was gone in a blink and she was staring at him, confused.

"What what what?" She shook her head and brushed his hand off her shoulder.

"You weren't answering." Yuki sat back on his pillow.

"Yeah," She jutted her chin out at him, "because I was _focused_." Yuki very much doubted that was the reason.

"Do they teach you in the sand to just give up when you are tired?" Azumi chided as she came back in the living room with a lacquered box in her hands.

"No!" Daagana snapped and crossed her arms. "I didn't give up. I just can't do it." Yuki gripped the hem of his pants to keep himself from saying anything. She _could_ do it. She _did_ do it. But the third part of Yuki's orders rang in his heart as he stared at his friend mutely: Protect her, protect others from her, and protect her from herself.

"Not quite as much natural talent as I was led to believe, hmm?" the old woman chuckled and sat the box down on the table. When I saw it, I knew instantly that: one, it was extremely important, and two, Azito had not been as big of a dick as I originally thought. The box Azumi placed on the table was identical to the box Azito had presented to me yesterday: Stained to a deep rich brown and engraved with the Arai clan symbol on the lid. "So you've seen one before." Azumi grunted as she sat down again, a bit more heavily than earlier. Her voice and her eyes masked the aging woman beneath. I smacked my hand of the table.

"Okay, enough. How are you reading my mind? Is that part of the Dark Release as well?"

"I'm not reading your mind, I'm reading your face, snippy child." She chided. "When your eyebrows shoot up like that it usually means something." I mentally checked my eyebrows and schooled my features into neutrality. "That's not going to help you either." Azumi chuckled at me.

"Whatever. What's in the box?" I crossed my arms with a _humph_. Her face still held the humor at my expense while she reached and lifted the lid of the laquered box. Inside, the lining was a crushed blue velvet and upon it sat a string of Hanasaka Lake Pearls. At least fifteen of them, strung on what looked to be fishing line. My jaw practically hit the floor. They varied in size, the front center being the biggest and grew smaller as they went back to the gold clasp.

Unconciously, my hand slipped into my pocket where the pearl Isao had given me was warm from traveling with me the whole time. I pulled it out to compare and couldn't help but feel a bit smug when I saw that my pearl was still just as beautiful as the necklace gems.

"Ahh, I see you have one of our own." Azumi nodded approvingly. Probably the first positive I had gotten from her since I arrived.

"Maeda Isao gave it to me. What's so special about them?"

"These pearls form in the clams of Hanasaka Lake and as such are in close proximity to the Hero Water. Because of this, they are different from regular pearls. They are excellent chakra conductors. Wearing them doesn't necessarily do anything for you either way, but some say that they make reaching your spiritual energy easier…cleaner." I fingered mine again, still loving the iridescent shine. "These pearls were given to my by my grandfather—"

"Azuki the First." I nodded and she smirked.

"Yes, as I am Azumi the Second, and you are Azreah the Third."

 _Azreah the Third._

How strange. "I would like you to wear them while we meditate." Azumi gingerly picked up the necklace and put it over my head. The beads were heavy and the weight felt foreign on my chest.

"I already tried meditation. I just can't do it. I'm too late."

 _'Late bloomers, the both of you'_ —

"Just because Yuki did not tell you doesn't mean it did not happen." Azumi slid her golden eyes over to the blue haired boy who pale considerably. I did the same and couldn't help but notice how he gripped the hem of his pants.

"Yuki—"

"It was very small and gone in an instant but…yes, you did do it."

"Why didn't you tell me when it happened?" I yelled but his face turnd angry.

"I tried but you were so far gone that you couldn't hear me!" He yelled back. Azumi stroked her chin in deep thought before getting up and rounding the table to sit beside me.

"Face me child." She said as she knelt down on a cushion.

"But—"

"And quit arguing. Goodness." Obediently I twisted around to face her. "Now put out your hands, palms down."

"Why—"

"Hush!" She snapped. Annoyed now that she wasn't answering any of my questions, I did as she said. I reached my hands out palms down and she mirrored me, but held her hands palms up. About two inches between us holding hands, our palms faced each other.

"Now what?" I wrinkled my nose at her, daring her to cut me off again.

"Now, Suna nin. Go find Shibuki."

"What?" Yuki asked.

"Tell him I need him." Azumi nodded and closed her eyes.

"I'm not leaving Daagana."

"Both of you, so defiant. We are simply going to meditate. We'll be right here when you get back."

"I don't—"

"Yuki just go." I told him and his eyes looked so betrayed. I had to close mine just so I couldn't see them. There was a brief moment when he just sat there, his angry breath sending my hair flying, but soon after he furiously stood and stormed out.

"I should hope your Kazekage is not as irritable." Azumi muttered and I choked back a laugh. Gaara, irritable? Nooooo. "Now then," She sniffed and readjusted herself in her cushion. "You may want to sit cross legged. We could be here awhile."

"What do you—"

As if on cue, the walls and floor began to flicker again. Between our facing palms, a small light blinked into existence and started to create little fairies made of chakra. The little orbs shot out in every direction, swimming up and around. In their wake were trails of chakra that shimmered like diamond dust and I strained my neck to watch them in their dance. At one point I leaned a little too far away and the connection between Azumi and I's palms bristled painfully.

"Sit still. We're not there yet." Azumi muttered but even then, she too, began to ripple.

"Not where?" I asked. Her face was becoming more and more blurry and it seemed like the only thing that wasn't growing darker was our hands, bright and shining like two stars in the night sky. "Azumi!" I cried as I lost sight of her completely. I tried pulling my hands away to bring her back into focus but they were stuck, like they were welded to each other by the spiritual energy. The wind began to pick up as the darkness swirled around us and I felt like I was at the center of a tornado! "Help! Yuki!"

"Shhh, be still. You are alright." The old woman's voice echoed around me like a ghost. My hair was whipping and stinging my face. I desperately leaned away, and squeezed my eyes shut…

And then all the world fell still.

* * *

A hawk cawed majestically over the arid landscape of the desert as Fugi sat meditating on a stone, overseeing the horizon. It was unusual for Hoichi not to send a message or be late, thus Fugi's delicately pointed ears were eager for any news. He embraced, for a moment, the thought of what would happen should his apprentice fail, but quickly buried the idea. Hoichi had been resolute, and Fugi had the upmost confidence that he would succeed in ridding the world of the menace that was now their Kazekage.

Suddenly, an unnatural swish of the sand brought his focus back to reality. He stood as, behind him, sand began to rise and form on its own. After a moment, the grains began to take shape and Fugi bowed as Sabaku no Gaara materialized before him.

"Lord Gaara."

"Fugi." The red haired boy acknowledged him and moved forward towards the edge of the cliff Fugi had been meditation on. "I would like to talk to you." The Kage said with his back facing the man.

"What about?" Fugi grimaced.

"I've always thought of you as a valuable citizen of the Hidden Sand." Fugi searched for the violence in Gaara's voice but found none as the desert hawk gave another lamenting cry.

"I am humbled." Fugi managed and even added a small bow for good measure. Where was Hoichi? What had happened?

"In the past, words like 'citizen' and 'friend' were just that…mere words that held no meaning to me. For a long time, even though I recognized these words, they were not part of my existence." Fugi wanted to close his ears and yell at this boy—this boy who was a monster! He should kill him here and now! But if he were discovered…his people would suffer at the hands of this beast until someone stronger could come along. So he simply said,

"Oh? And when did these concepts become real to you?" He tried to hide the venom in his voice, the sarcasm and the disbelief, and he feared he was failing, but Gaara did not seem to notice.

"Two years ago when I infiltrated the Hidden Leaf Village with the intent to destroy it. It was there that, for the first time, I met someone I could call a friend. Ironically, he was an enemy, a ninja _from_ the Hidden Leaf." Fugi vaguely remembered reading Temari and Kankurou's mission reports, and the mention of such an encounter, but the boy's name eluded him. "Although he and I shared similar circumstances, he empathized with the pain of others and shared in their joy and tears. Meeting him made me realize how precious and important the word 'friend' actually is. It made me want to be like him…a human being who is valued and needed by others."

When Fugi looked up again, Gaara had turned around and was staring at him. He wasn't sure if the Kage was waiting for his answer or his confession, so again he played the safe card and said,

"Lord Gaara, you are and will always be a person who is essential to the Hidden Sand."

"And yet, all this time, I've been considered a military weapon to be feared."

"But that's—" Fugi tried to play the good advisor, to encourage him, but Gaara cut him off.

"There is no point denying it, I know the truth. If it were not so, my own father would not have tried to kill me six times." Fugi pursed his lips to keep from saying something he shouldn't. This whole conversation was beginning to feel like Gaara knew exactly what Fugi was going to do and say. Like the boy actually _was_ something other than a weapon.

"I am also aware of the deeply rooted opposition to my tenure as the Kazekage. At first, I didn't know which path I should follow: Take the position or turn it down. It was a dilemma for me. But after my friend from the Leaf taught me about friendship, I thought it over again and decided that I wanted to heal the pain I had caused everyone. But it has been difficult to get the people of the Hidden Sand to believe that I am sincere.

For a time, I felt the wounds that I inflicted on my people would never be mended. I thought I should just disappear and then the fear would disappear as well…But I found that there were people who, without any prejudice, accepted my feelings. Matsuri…Shira….Daagana. These Shinobi have come to accept and rely on my guidance, and are maturing because of it." Finally Gaara met Fugi's eyes and he ultimately saw the truth: Gaara knew. He'd known all along. And that also meant Hoichi was probably dead.

"Those who wish to hunt me are free to do so, but do not involve my friends. I don't want them colored with hatred or vengeance.

There were times when I doubted myself as the Kazekage, but after meeting them, I realized that perhaps even someone like me could accomplish things. My goals are these," Gaara said and turned to walk back to where he had come into existence. "Erase the hate from Suna, create bonds with people I call friends and share in their joy and pain…

If you object, then take my head."


	12. While You Were Sleeping

**_Chapter 12_**

After Gaara's meeting with Fugi, he attended dinner along with the ninja from the Chuunin Exams, feeling like he could rule the world. He'd already made the announcement that the third phase had been cancelled due to "unforeseen" circumstances. Everyone who knew why, didn't mind, while everyone else was inspired by the speech he had given. Truth be told he would have felt a lot better if Daagana had been up there with him, but after he started, there was no stopping him. The words just flowed out, making his chest feel lighter than it had in months.

Gaara entered through the grand double doors into the arena hall, the level below the battle field. He was literally the only one who could open them unattended, seeing as they were made of sand. Just brute strength alone would take at least three men on each door, not to mention the ornate handles on either side were at least as tall as he was. Daagana's elaborate touch no doubt. A few steps down and stretched out before him were rows and rows of long banquet tables filled with tired but victorious Shinobi, all of whom had survived the Demon Desert.

Gaara saw Matsuri and her team arguing with Shira and his group, Ame Shinobi still milled about but less separate than at the beginning when they didn't speak at all, and Fuu was dancing around the fire pit in the center while Sakura, Ino and Lee clapped and stomped out a rhythm no one could possibly follow. Temari was sitting on the table, lounging behind an already drunk Shikamaru while Kankurou was harassing any girl who would come near him, trying to steal a kiss. Nothing was wrong in the world.

As the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara had successfully put an end to a coup d'état staged against him without any undo bloodshed. In fact, he had _kept_ the peace. Not a single person had died at his hand today. Absently, he brushed his fingers over the rough sand stone of the pillars, relishing the familiar coarseness.

In a puff of smoke, Baki stepped up behind him.

"My Lord." His Sensei bowed. "I have personally overseen the reparations to the arena. Everything seems to be in order."

"Since we won't be using it this year, I want you to turn it into a shelter for women and children." Gaara nodded to himself as Baki did a double take. When the Kage turned to his advisor and saw his shocked expression, he smirked. "It's what Daagana would want."

* * *

 ** _Flashback_**

"So after Phase II, what's next?" Daagana lay on her stomach and kicked her bare feet in the air.

"Phase III." Gaara huffed as he lounged against an outcropping of rock. The sun was beating down on them and he had opted to sit in the shade while she positioned herself squarely in the sun. No wonder she was so tan.

"Thank you, _Captain Obvious_." She laughed and threw a pebble at him. As expected, it was interrupted by a wisp of sand before it hit him and she pouted. "What happens in Phase III?"

"One-on-one combat."

"Oh geez." She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"What?" Gaara asked, watching as she picked a small desert weed to shreds.

"I'm just…Hiniku. I can't help but think about Hiniku." Gaara leaned forward and brushed his finger against her forearm.

"Save you?" He mumbled but she didn't mirror his smirk.

"No, I'd rather save her." Sighing, she stood and dusted herself off. Gaara handed her her shoes one by one as she hopped up and down, trying to slip them on. She'd mentioned it once or twice before, but now that the exams were upon them, Daagana couldn't help but feel guilty.

"You are already a Chuunin. There's no need for you to participate." Gaara explained for the umpteenth time.

"I know that!" She whined. "But maybe we should have waited! I should be taking it with them!"

"Even if you were still a Genin, you don't have a team. There's no way you _could_ take the exam." She groaned in annoyance and turned her back to him. He could tell she wasn't angry; she was just frustrated, she was just worried, and she just felt useless. "Tell me what you need." He asked quietly.

"I need…" She put her hands on her hips and started shuffling around rocks with her feet: Her thinking dance. "I need to help." She decided and turned back to him. Her head was blocking out the sun and it made it look like she had a halo. She was an angel, or maybe a mirage, Gaara still wasn't sure.

"Help how?" He asked, transfixed by her face.

"I don't know. You tell me. What can I do to make the Chuunin Exams easier for Hiniku and Sho and Matsuri and Hinata and Lee and Nar—" With each name she took a step closer to him, coming lower and lower until he quickly cut her off.

"He's not coming."

"What?" She cried and slumped over onto Gaara's lap. "Why not?" The Kage snorted through his nose as his girlfriend whined like a child that Naruto wasn't coming to Suna.

"He's still training with the Sage."

"But he's been gone for two years!" She flopped.

"Almost." Gaara nodded and unconsciously put his hand on her back.

"Although, you know what's gonna be funny?" She sat up and wiggled her eyebrows at him.

"What?" Gaara smirked.

"Naruto is going to come back a Genin and everyone else is going to be a Chuunin." She covered her mouth with her hands but couldn't stop the laughter from seeping through. "And you're the Kazekage!" She giggled even more.

"It will not take long for him to become Hokage. It is his dream after all."

"Believe it." She said after she was done laughing and smiled.

After awhile, Daagana hopped up and stretched. "So where are they being hosted? The fights, I mean."

"In the tower." She looked back at him with a scowl. "There is nowhere else." He shrugged and looked off in the direction of the tower. It was simply a massive sand stone pillar erected by the first Kazekage as an outpost for first responders during battle. It was also the site for Day 3 of Phase II. After three days in the desert, even the tower would look like a palace.

"So _make_ somewhere else." She said and clapped her hands together. When she pulled them apart, a streak of _black_ sprang out and puddled at her feet. Its long body swayed back and forth like an Asp, eyeing him tauntingly.

"What are you doing with that?" Gaara pointed at the snake made of _black_.

"I had an idea for a sneak attack and I wanted to show Kankurou. They should be here soon." She grinned devilishly and on cue, the snake dove into the sand, squirming and wiggling until it was hidden from view.

Her comment stuck with Gaara though, even when his siblings showed up for their monthly "meeting". Temari padded up to the outcropping tiredly, having just returned from another trip to Konoha and was weary from the journey, while Kankurou had just finished a boring rotation on border patrol. He was overexcited...up to the point that Daagana's hidden _black_ snake sprang from its hiding place and took him to the ground. Everyone started to laugh as Kankurou tried to grab for the creature at his neck only to have it slither through his grasp. It's hard to get a handle on something that was only slightly corporeal. But Gaara was still focused on what Daagana had said: _So make somewhere else._

His gaze took him back out to the tower. It stood tall and impending, and also a good fifteen miles from the entrance to Suna. Phase III was more of a spectacle than an actual combat exercise, and he was really going to ask all of the Daimyo's and Kages to trek the _fifteen_ miles to the tower to watch weary soldiers fight?

No…

Gana was right. They needed a different place to host Phase III. A large space, like in Konoha, where citizens could watch, and Shinobi could fight without worrying about destroying the village. Gaara's gaze back tracked to Suna's entrance within the canyon, and then just to the west where the horizon went on for years.

Make somewhere else? Gaara squinted at the barren landscape. He could commission builders, encourage jobs within his economy, but…they would never get it done on time. Not even with the month between Phase II and Phase III. And then there was still the small issue of where he was going to house all these foreign Shinobi. He had thought the tower would provide everything he needed but it just wasn't turning out to be as practical as he had hoped. It was too far out.

By the time he looked back, Daagana and Kankurou were already in the midst of a heated battle. He had Crow out, flying towards her and she was working on blocking projectiles with _black_. Temari was sitting on the sidelines. She'd pulled apart the hems of her skirt so her legs could catch some sun and they nearly blinded Gaara. Born and raised in the desert yet as pale as a Yuki nin.

Crow sent a barrage of senbon shooting towards Daagana and with a move Gaara had seen her practice a hundred times, she blocked them. By rotating her arm in a full arc, a trail of _black_ in its wake, she made a 360-degree loop, her black filling in thus becoming an impenetrable, temporary shield. It reminded Gaara of calligraphy, how she swept her arm in a circle and emitted a stream of shadows. It was truly like art, and he had come to appreciate it rather than fear it. Switching from defense to offense, Daagana slammed her foot into the ground. From her sole came a hundred of those 'snakes' that had munched on Kankurou earlier and he cried out.

"Those damn things are not fair!" He yelled across the battlefield as he summoned Salamander with his left hand to keep him protected from her little scouts.

"I want to build an arena." Gaara quickly said before he could stop himself. Temari always encouraged him to share what was on his mind, to communicate…but maybe right then had not been the best time, because Daagana's eyes snapped to his and subsequently off of her opponent. Kankurou was already at the opening, but couldn't stop Crow from slamming into her. Thankfully he did have time to pull his pinky and retract all the blades he had out, but Gana was still sent flying. Temari sighed dramatically.

"Never take your eyes off your opponent. I've only been telling you that for two years, Gana!"

"I'm sorry if I got a little distracted!" Daagana shouted back as she pushed Crow's now limp limbs off her. Kankurou flexed two fingers and Crow's scrawny arms wrapped Daagana in a hug and started petting her hair. "Stop stop. Ew, get off!" She laughed and wiggled out of his grasp.

"Let's revisit that distraction." Temari said and hopped off her rock. "What's this about an arena?" Gaara told her all the things he had just thought of and they listened intently.

"I mean yeah but…how?" Kankurou asked as he rolled up his scrolls, Crow and Salamander back to being seals on paper.

"We build it." Gaara motioned to him and Daagana who touched her chin in thought.

"Okay but even for you, that would be a feat." Temari said and shielded her eyes so she could stare at the site Gaara had picked.

"Sand as the medium, _black_ as the mold."

"Oooh, we haven't tried that before." Daagana nodded, intrigued. "We'd probably have to take the day to design it but…we could assemble it in, what…fourish hours?"

"It would depend on how big." Gaara nodded.

"You guys are nuts." Temari shook her head but smirked.

Back in the village, and after a couple of hours of consulting every architect and engineer in Suna, they had the plans for the arena. It would be circular with the actual battlefield in the very center. The walls surrounding the enclosure would be tall, similar to Konohas, but the civilian seats would start lower and be steeper to accommodate more people. Above the residential seating would be a balcony that would go all the way around the top of the stadium. Daimyo's and Kages would have full visibility off all the battles from there. In addition to all of the space provided for battle, miscellaneous wings would be added to both the north and south ends of the stadium to accommodate anything that came up, including housing a few dozen extra Shinobi. Situated just one mile outside the village walls, it would be easily accessible and defendable, not to mention give Suna a leg up in training.

Daagana had stopped him in the middle of his thoughts and looked him right in the eye.

"When we're not hosting Chuunin Exams, what will the extra space be used for?"

"That is yet to be decided." Gaara shrugged and continued to plan, but she grabbed his attention again.

"There are a lot of people who could benefit from that extra space." With a sigh, Gaara put down his pen and turned to her fully.

"Speak." He said, but she shied away from his full attention, shrugging.

"I don't know, I'm just saying."

"I was going to give Kankurou the responsibility of overseeing it's maintenance but perhaps I should give it to you." Gaara nodded to himself as he turned back to the plans.

"To me!" She gasped.

"Yes, that way you can make use of the _extra space_."

* * *

The following morning, Daagana, the Sand Siblings, Yuki, Baki and an emissary of the Wind Daimyo stood in front of the spot Gaara had chosen.

"And you studied the plans?" Kankurou asked Daagana who glared at him.

"Yes, I studied the plans." She snapped.

"And you memorized every part?"

"Yes, I memorized every part."

"And you remember—"

"Kankurou!" Daagana yelled. "I got it."

"Okay, just making sure." He chuckled nervously. "Nothing like this has ever been done before."

"Sure it has." She responded. "How do you think Suna got here?"

"That's different." He tried. "Reto was—"

" _Not Gaara_." She replied crisply and Temari had to hide her laughter behind a fan.

Finally, Gaara stepped forward. Daagana quickly took her place beside him while everyone else backed up. Kankurou was partially right, nothing like this had ever been done, at least not in their generation. Building an entire complex with intricate rooms and angles was something they didn't think even Rasa could perform. But Gaara reached out for Daagana defiantly. If they were going to do this together, they had to be in perfect sync, they had to do it together. She laced her fingers in his and it was like the air pressure in the desert shifted. Rings of sand began to swirl around their feet with the sheer magnitude of their combined power. Yuki silently took a step forward to stand behind Daagana, just in case, as the pair raised their separate arms, palms out, towards the dune Gaara had selected.

"Save you?" Daagana yelled as a gale of wind whipped her hair into a frenzy. With so much chakra in one place, it was like opening up a portal for elements to manifest themselves.

"Save me." Gaara muttered as they both took one step with their outside feet, brought their hands back and then jutted them out again in fists.

The resounding concussion could be heard across all of Wind Country and the Daimyo emissary cried out, grabbing his hat before it was blown away by the pressure. Gaara had to close his eye and imagine the schematics he had studied all night. He started with the arena, forming and shaping the battle floor, and the surrounding walls. Next he turned to stair stepping the stadium seating, up and up, shelf after shelf. Then he spun around the rim of the bowl and shaped the aerial balcony.

It was like dancing. He could feel himself moving in respect to the contours he constructed and every once in a while he felt Daagana's shoulder brush against his. She was dancing right along with him, in a perfectly opposite manner, their hold on each other never faltering.

Gaara could detect every grain of sand and knew exactly where it went. Similarly, Daagana felt every grain of sand as she coated each and every one in _black_. It made the construction look inky but as the sand was shaped and held, the darkness seeped away.

After a few hours of building though, Gaara's arms were shaking and he could hear Daagana's heavy breathing. Every wall, every door, every window, every counter, every drawer, every stair, every curve of the floor was made by them and it was _exhausting_. Finally, when the work seemed done, Gaara lowered his hand and nodded to Baki who quickly ran in to inspect. Gaara didn't move as his sensei inspected the 200,000 square foot stadium, only looking for structural weaknesses in case he and Gana needed to redo it.

"See?" Daagana panted. "I told you we got it…" before she promptly fell over. Her hold on Gaara's hand was the other thing that kept her from hitting the sand as he fell to his knees and caught her. Temari rushed forward to hold up her brother.

"Ugh, you guys really over did it." She muttered as Gaara braced himself on her.

 _Stay awake._

 _Stay awake._

 _Don't pass out_.

Suddenly there was a flutter in his chest, and when he opened his eyes, Yuki's hand was over his heart, glowing a bright teal.

"What are you…" He tried, but felt heat rush through his veins. Not pain, but energy. The cloudiness vanished from Gaara's vision and he realized that Yuki was filling his Chakra reserve.

"Some things are worth it." The blue haired boy hummed before switching to Daagana.

 ** _End Flashback_**

* * *

Back in the present, the question Baki had been dreading was on the tip of Gaara's tongue. As the Kage walked between the rows of tables and greeted the weary Shinboi as they ate their supper, Baki followed after him darkly. How was he going to put this? He'd been trying to delicately piece together an explanation since he sent Daagana on her way more than a week ago. The fact that he hadn't heard anything since Yuki checked in from Konoha was just making it worse. Last he heard, Shikaku Nara needed a severe beating and the group was leaving for Takigakure. If everything had gone to plan, they should have made it there yesterday…and here was hoping everything went to plan.

"My Lord—"

"Kazekage-sama." Hyuuga Hinata bowed before Gaara and Baki stiffened. Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino relaxed at the table behind her, carrying on with the rest of the Leaf Rookie 6, but Hinata, shy little Hinata, stood to face the Kage.

"Hn?" Gaara addressed her. Even though he'd met the girl many times, he still felt unnerved by her blank eyes. Even though a set of blank eyes had just saved his life.

"I was just wondering if Daagana had returned from her mission yet. We were hoping to see her before we departed."

"Mission?" Temari sat up. "What mission?" It wasn't very lady like of her to lay on the table but she didn't care, and no one dared tell her to get down.

"I'm sorry, Lady Hinata. You must be mistaken. Daagana has been very busy working in her family's ramen shop." Gaara explained, but the girl's brow crinkled.

"Wait what? No she hasn't." Hiniku stood and put her hands on the table. Hinata nodded to the blonde and began to wring her hands in front of her nervously.

"I was told she was o-on an important mi-mission and that was why she was not at the r-ramen shop." Her white eyes turned expectedly to Baki, followed by everyone else's.

So...his clever web of lies had finally been pulled loose. Just one string had to be drawn and it just had to be Hinata. He swallowed as Gaara's terrifying gaze landed on him.

"Gaara…" Kankurou warned. Everyone around them went dead quiet as they felt the sand beneath their feet come loose.

"Explain." Gaara's voice was tight, and Baki could tell he was trying extremely hard to keep himself restrained. Had he learned any other way, this would not have been a problem but the fact that Baki's lies had been ousted in front of everyone…Gaara looked the fool.

"Daagana is on a mission." He said quickly.

"I did not authorize any missions." Gaara snapped.

"It was on my authority."

"You told her to go with him, didn't you?" Hiniku's glare was hard on her sensei. When Baki didn't answer, Kankurou violently threw his cup into the fire pit.

"You sent her to _Taki_!" He roared and reached to grab Baki's shirt front.

"Who's in Taki?" Fuu popped up but everyone ignored her.

"It was in the best interest of the village!" Baki cried, for the first time in his life, in his student's grip.

"What about the best interest of Gana, huh? Did you think about that?" Kankurou reared back a fist but Kiba and Shino jumped up to grab him and pull him off.

"What the hell is going on?" Temari snapped but everyone ignored her too.

"My Lord," Baki threw himself to the ground in front of Gaara. "I accept any punishment you decide but please understand. The repercussions of this scandal could have been immense. If Taki thought we were withholding their heir, they could have declared war on the Hidden Sand!"

"Their _heir_?" Gaara's eyes were getting smaller and smaller by the minute, so Temari swiftly jumped forward and spread her fan, facing Baki. It was a protective posture, and her former teacher had to take a step back to accommodate.

"I don't know what's going on, Baki, but you need to leave. _Now_."


	13. Of Monsters and Men

**_Chapter 13_**

I knelt on a sheet of black glass that rippled when I touched it and there was nothing else around us; no hut, no Yuki.

"What is this place?" The words left my mouth in a muted echo and I could see them. _I could see them_.

"It is a fading shadow of its former self."

"What does that even mean?" I blinked up at Arai Azumi, but she was not the same old woman who had tortured me with a carp. The woman before me was young and glowing, the spitting image of an angel with flowing straw-colored hair and vivid golden eyes. Her feet didn't touch the ground as she hovered over the inky black ice I sat on.

"It means," She smiled at me warmly, "the _Kurai Ririsu_ is the offspring of normalcy and royalty. It is derived from one of the Three Great Dōjutsu: Rinnegan, Byakugan, and—"

"Sharingan." I finished as this, another punch in the gut, settled. "Am I going to get the Sharingan?" She began to laugh, like twinkling bells and it echoed over the barren plain.

"Oh no. Only pure blooded Uchiha possess the Sharingan."

"Uchiha?" I mumbled, trying desperately to remember.

 _Sasuke…_

That was it. My first mission to Konoha had been to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke. The mission that put nearly everyone I love in the hospital. The mission we failed. And now it seemed that I had the same ancestors as him. But perhaps that _was_ it!

"The woman!" I exclaimed. "The mysterious woman Arai Azusa fell in love with, Sarada. The one who introduced the Dark Release. She was an Uchiha?"Azumi smiled and nodded approvingly.

"Perhaps so, perhaps not. We will never know. All that is remembered is that she possessed the Sharingan. And it would seem that mixing her bloodline with ours created a whole new Kekkei Genkai: _Kurai Ririsu_. But the Dark Release still retains some of the characteristics of its former glory, such as this: The _Tsukuyomi_." She motioned to the bleak world around us.

"The… _Tsukuyomi_?" I mouthed.

"Yes, it is one of the most powerful Genjutsu in existence. It is said to represent the 'Spiritual World and Darkness'. This is why everything seems backwards." And this was true. Everything was distorted but at the same time, nothing was wrong. The sky red but the sky was normal. I felt everything and nothing at all. I was neither happy nor sad, afraid nor elated. It was like I was floating in this dimension in reverse, upside down, backwards, and inside out. There was nothing around us, no hut, no Taki, no grass or ground or earth. Just red above and black below, with the horizon to separate them. "I only know of one Uchiha who has mastered the Tsukuyomi in my lifetime, but for the Arai, it comes naturally."

"Sasuke, I presume?" I snorted.

"No…" She shook her head, puzzled.

"Oh I just kinda thought…I've never met any Uchiha. He's just the only one I've heard of."

"That's because they're all dead." She said crisply and I gasped.

"What? How? If they all had the Sharingan, how could they have possibly died?"

"When you sleep with knives, you will inevitably be stabbed in your bed."

"What does—" Suddenly, the world around us shifted and blackened until it looked like we were standing on a deserted street. "Where are we?" The windows and doors were all boarded up, and a thick layer of dust covered the ground, like no one had walked there in years.

"We are in the Uchiha district of Konoha." Azumi still floated, the large arm holes of her sleeves, billowing around her.

"Did we teleport here?" I asked and spun around. The moon was whole and bright…funny, I don't remember it being night.

"We are not really there. This is simply a dimension that lets us see what we need to see." And then the world tilted again and we were back in the emotionless plain of the original _Tsukuyomi_.

"So you're controlling this…dimension?" I asked and took a step. My foot never connected with anything but it felt fine. There was no floor to walk upon, yet I was.

" _We_ are. I have not been here in a long time. I am old and not able to perform a Jutsu of this magnitude, but you…this is the strongest I have ever felt it. The power is strong in you."

"Lucky me." I mumbled and turned in a circle. No matter where I looked, there was nothing else.

"You do not sound pleased." She was squinting at me.

"I mean…come on. Dark? Shade? _Black_? It's like I'm destined to become a monster." I heaved a big sigh. So this truly was my fate? Giia had been right about me all along.

"Darkness does not always equate to evil, just as light does not always mean good. Do you remember the Arai Clan symbol?"

"The one on the lid of the box, yes."

"Then you know, as there is darkness in light and light in darkness, there is also a third element."

"And what's that?"

"There would be no sense in my telling you." She grinned sheepishly, but I didn't smile back, and she sighed. "There are people whose good qualities shine brightest in the darkness, like the ray of a diamond; while there are others whose virtues are only brought out by the light, like the colors of silk. Ironically, it is through our darkness that we discover our light. So we need both…we need both deeply." I turned back to her, conflicted.

"But…there is always an aura of evil around those who dwell in the dark." I said, thinking of Orochimaru and my new cousin, Uchiha Sasuke.

"And do you have this…aura?"

"Well I had hoped not…but now I don't know."

"Perhaps your fears are real and your mother was correct about you." I gaped at her, and she chuckled. "In this Jutsu, feelings are the most potent energy, and you are ricocheting yours across the plain."

I looked around as everything shimmered again and we were suddenly in the parlor at the Kazekage mansion. My feet hit the floor with a jolt, and when I raised my arms to steady myself, I found a fire poker in my hand. Giia, my long dead mother, was on her knees before me, staring up with such hatred while Azumi stood quietly off to the side, watching as the worst moment of my life was suddenly put on pause.

"No no no no…no. I don't want to be here!" I sputtered and dropped the spit.

"Why not?" Azumi whispered.

"Why would I ever want to come back to this?" I screamed and stumbled backwards.

"Because this is the last time you ever saw her." As I threw myself away, another me replaced the position I had been in, and I saw the look in my own eyes. The look I'd had the moment I killed my mother. It was the same hatred I saw on Giia's face, just reflected on mine.

Then, just as quickly, the moment disappeared and we were back to the endless red and black plain of the _Tsukuyomi_. I took a breath, before spinning and glaring at my great-aunt.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Taking me back there and making me see those things! You changed it. You only showed me what you wanted me to see. That is not what happened! This is not how—" She raised both eyebrows at me.

"So you're denying it now?"

"What? No, I—"

"So you didn't kill her?"

"Yes, I mean, no. I—"

"Why?"

"Because—"

"Because why?"

"Because she would have killed me!"

"And you think this makes you evil? You? Who was defending yourself against a monster?"

"She wasn't a monster." I mumbled.

"Your opinion has been biased since the first time you loved her."

"That's because she was my mother!"

"Mothers can be monsters too! This is apparently a concept you cannot seem to grasp!" The slight glow of her features turned fiery and her hair raised. The air around us began to sizzle and crack again like it had when we first met, and it might have been the first time I actually saw her as an opponent. I clamped my mouth shut at this, denying myself the comeback but, like my heart could not be stopped, I heard a voice scream,

"Monsters and mothers should never go in the same sentence! She loved me once! I saw it! I remember it!"

It was _my_ voice…

The red sky phased out and morphed into the wooden slats of my home from when I was a child. The same hut that burned down almost three years ago.

"How did you…where are we?" Azumi demanded and suddenly a streak of grey slid down her hair. Her eyes widened in shock as she floated back down to level with me.

"In my house." I slurred when, suddenly, a four-year-old Daagana came wailing out of the back bedroom.

"Noooo!" She cried and threw herself under the table in the living room. Not far behind her was Giia, and my heart nearly stopped at seeing her again. The memory paused and lingered for a moment, and I knew I was controlling it.

"Let it play dear." Azumi floated up beside me. "You need to see what happens next."

"I don't want to…I want to keep her here. Like this." I held back a sob as Giia's violet eyes danced. Her long blonde hair was half way through a swish and her hands were reaching for her rebellious daughter.

"I am not the one who conjured this. Your heart believes you should remember…so obey." Immediately the image started to move again.

"Daagana! Get out from under there!" Giia ran through me like the ghost of a memory that she was, and reached under the table for the smaller Daagana. She pulled out the girl kicking and screaming and my stomach clenched in horror at what I thought I was about to witness but…Giia lifted up little Daagana's shirt and raspberried her belly. The girl squealed and squirmed but her mother had her in her strong arms.

"No, Mama! No!" She giggled when Giia finally picked her up and tossed her over her shoulder.

"There will be no discussion, young lady. You are taking a bath whether you like it or not!"

Suddenly there was a knock at the door—I don't remember there being a door. Giia whipped her head and around and her expression completely changed.

"Go to your room." She ordered little Gana, and then got up to answer. But being the rebellious ornery child that I was, I hadn't. She crawled back under the table and hid herself with the cushion, so when Giia looked back to see if she was gone, she couldn't be seen.

When the door opened, a huge man pushed his way in and Giia's entire demeanor changed.

"Well come right in." She purred and swung the door shut.

"You didn't show up. It's the second time this week." The man growled. He wore the clothes of a civilian but for some reason, when I circled around the bickering couple, his face was blurred out.

"Why can't I see him?" I asked Azumi.

"Because you did not see him then." She explained.

"Sorry, something came up." Giia flicked her hair over her shoulder nonchalantly.

"That little brat of yours?" The man turned back to her.

"Leave her out of this." Giia snapped.

"I will when you do your job." The man stormed over and got right up in her face. "Or next time, I'll be asking your little girl to cover your shift. And I promise, she'll be more popular than you."

The scene faded out before I could see what happened even though it was technically my own memory.

"So…" Azumi floated over to me. "You do not see her as a monster because she protected you from worse monsters."

"I don't even remember that…" I whispered and kept staring at the empty pocket of space where she had been.

"Memory is a complex thing, but the heart knows all."

"So what? What now?" I sniffed and turned to her. There was no point trying to hide the tears pooling in my eyes and her face tilted to the side.

"Now you listen."

"And what the hell is it trying to say?" I snapped, half laughing, half crying, not understanding what I was feeling. It was like my emotions were both being dampened and amplified by this dimension.

"You are one of the rarest Shinobi in the world: a curse seal, a Kekkei Genkai, and a good head on your shoulders. You will change the course of history." She hovered a little closer.

"Oh god, lady. Don't put any more pressure on me than I already have!" I cried and turned away.

"Darkness is good and darkness is bad. As with light. Light and darkness dance together, are born together, born _of_ each other, neither preceding, neither following. Both fully being in joyful rhythm. This is your purpose. To find your niche, just as it is with the Yin and the Yang."

"I am not a god-damn decoration on one of your god-damn boxes!"

"No, you are not. But can you tell me what you _are_?"

"What do you mean what I am? I'm a person!" I snapped.

"Are you a person? Are you a tool? Are you a symbol? Are you a clan leader? Or are you a monster, just like you think you are?"

* * *

Night had fallen in Takigakure as Yuki knelt before the hut of Arai Azumi the Second. Well, what used to be a hut. It was now completely submerged in blue chakra, and the arms of the storm lashed out at the nearby buildings and the face of the cliff. On either side of him sat Taki nin all bowing before scrolls and chanting in dead languages. They were trying to keep the storm's power contained, and to stop it from destroying everything around it. The wind was deafening but Yuki hadn't moved all day, not since he realized his mistake.

That damn grandma…

She'd tricked him. Told him to leave and get Shibuki so she could trap Daagana in this force field of energy—

Suddenly, Yuki felt a slap on his shoulder. He quickly looked back as Shibuki shielded his eyes from the bright light show. He yelled something but his voice was snatched away by the wind. Very reluctantly, Yuki followed him away from the hut and further down the road where one could actually hear themselves think.

"How is it? Any updates?" Shibuki yelled when they were far enough away. Gone were his semi-traditional robes, and now he wore ninja gear typical of Taki.

"No change." Yuki yelled back. "We've been unable to dampen the spiritual energy because of all the amplifiers. Both Daagana and Azumi are wearing strings of Hanasaka Pearls, and with the Hero Water Shrine just across the lake, it's prime real estate."

"I understand that, but Azumi wouldn't have done this willingly." Shibuki glowered, but Yuki grabbed his shirt front. Instantly, other ninja were on him, but Shibuki waved them off.

"Daagana did not do this. And even if you don't believe me, just look at the color." Yuki pointed at the blue chakra that was eating away at the house. "Gana's chakra is _black_."

"Who's repsonsible does not matter. The question is: what are we going to do now?" The leader asked and Yuki gently let go of his shirt. He looked back at the hut and grimaced as two of the shingles lifted from the roof and hovered. Gravity was already being bent, and if Gana stayed in there…who knows what could happen.

"Now I need to send a message." Yuki said.

 _ **Two Days Later**_

Yuki panted heavily as he sliced through another surge of devastating chakra. The entirety of the house was floating now, delicately bobbing on the waves of the spiritual energy. The other Taki ninja had finally stopped their useless chanting and were standing in line with him, blocking the chakra from tearing apart the rest of the basin. Shibuki was among them, one or two nin down from Yuki. He was breathing hard, bracing himself for the next swell, but he was standing, and Yuki figured, after two days, he could allow himself to respect this leader. Everyone else had rotated in and out, resting and refueling, but not them. They had too much at stake to waste on sleep.

Speaking of which…

"Hey Suna! About ready to call it a day?" Shibuki yelled and held up his hands, palms out.

"After you, great leader! Isn't it time for your foot massage?" Yuki hollered back and mimicked his posture. Both men smirked at one another as another huge wave of chakra blasted towards them. The energy swirled towards them and crashed against the shield they generated to keep in contained. Yuki felt the raw chakra sear his palms, all his callouses having long since burned away.

"Yuki…" Shibuki yelled as the wave broke against their barrier and retreated back like a tide in the ocean.

"Don't say it." Yuki snapped back.

"We can't keep this up forever. And neither can the ladies inside. Where is your Kage?" Shibuki shuddered.

"He's coming! I know it!"

"Yeah, but will he get here in time?" Shibuki said to himself. There was no need to whisper, as the din of the energy snatched away his words.

It was probably not even an hour later that Yuki's faith proved Shibuki's doubt wrong. The ground began to shake, more so than it already was and as Yuki looked around, the whole world seemed to tremble. He gazed up at Shibuki triumphantly.

"You owe _me_ a foot massage."

The same instant, the tunnel on Jiijii Island erupted as tendrils of sand shot up towards to sky. Temari, Kankurou and Sabaku no Gaara flew out of the tunnels in a rage, before landing on the arms of sand streaming out over Hanasaka Lake. The sand siblings floated so high above the world that Yuki could see them above the roof tops and trees and by the time he looked back, Shibuki was already gone, running towards the docks.

"If I wasn't so pissed off right now, I'd think this place was pretty." Temari sneered as she looked down at the village, the lake and the people. Neither of her brothers responded as Gaara motioned and lowered them down towards the beach. Sand continued to leak out of the tunnel they had exploded from and slunk down into the lake, spiraled up the massive tree and hovered below Gaara at his beck and call. It was alive as it covered everything, layering the bountiful green grass and blue water with coarse unyielding sand. The desert was reclaiming the oasis. Temari braced herself for the act of war they were about to commit and wished, for a split second, that Shikamaru was here to talk them out of it.

But it seemed that they didn't need Shikamaru after all.

"Kazekage-sama!" A brown haired man ran towards them from the village. Gaara touched down on the beach, but it only fueled his power as the grains lifted and swirled around him.

" _Where is_ —"

"Daagana is this way." The man pointed towards a massive ball of light coming from the other side of the village. This easy information made the siblings pause, tense, ready for battle.

" _Why are you_ —"

"Please, there is no time! Daagana and Azumi are trapped in a chakra induced trance. Yuki and my men have been trying to keep it contained but they can't hold on much longer." The man cut him off again, like he didn't know Gaara could remove his skin with a flick of his wrist.

"Wait," Kankurou threw up a hand. "Are you _Shibuki_? Leader of Takigakure?"

"Yes." Shibuki quickly bowed before stepped back the way he came.

"And you're giving her to us, no contest?" Temari asked, skeptical.

"Of course we are! We were never going to hold her again her will! She made it clear from the start that she would not stay. Now please, hurry! Before she tears my village apart!" The siblings look at each other, alarmed, but that was all Gaara needed to hear before he took off after the brown haired man, towards the ball of light that was his love.

"Showing up at the end to steal the glory, Kankurou?" Yuki jeered as the trio came into view.

"Status report." Kankurou snapped. Yuki had never talked to him like that before, he was never the type for jokes or silly banter.

"Aye, sir." Yuki coughed and soured. "Daagana and her great-aunt, Arai Azumi the second, are trapped in the house. They are struck inside a massive chakra storm, that I can only assume Azumi created to show Daagana her true power."

"I already told you!" Shibuki shouted over the wind. "Azumi-sama would not have done this on purpose! She would never harm family."

"Daagana is not her family." Gaara snapped at the man, but the Taki leader didn't back down.

"That maybe so, but _Azreah_ is."

Gaara looked back at the chakra storm in horror. So it was _true_. Daagana really was the long lost daughter of the Arai clan. She'd had a father the whole time, who could have saved her from Giia's beatings. A clan who could have intervened. A village who wanted her back.

A growl ripped through Gaara's chest as he surged forward.

"Stand back!" He shouted to everyone around him as sand formed into a giant fist behind him.

"No, Gaara! Wait!" Temari screamed as he jumped and brought the massive sand fist down onto the barrier. Lightning flashed and cracked as his power was pitted the raw energy of the chakra. For a moment, the Kage hung there, fist protruding into the shield, but after a few agonizing seconds, he was shot back out, smoking from the effort.

"Gaara!" Kankurou ran over as his little brother struggled to pick himself up off the ground, still smoking and even angrier than before.

"I'm afraid we've tried that already, Kazekage-sama." Shibuki scowled at the floating hut. "We've tried everything." Everyone stared at the hut again in daunting silence as it spun up another wave to break against the barrier.

"Not _everything_." Temari announced and everyone looked at her, shocked. She had a determined, slightly crazed smirk that made everyone get out of her way as she padded over to Yuki. "You've been keeping the stray energy waves at bay right?"

"Yes, ma'am." Yuki grunted. He knelt with his arms outstretched, like he had been trying to give the storm a hug for two days straight.

"You've created a barrier around the barrier, yes? A chakra cancelling shell."

"Yes?" He answered again.

"I also assume that, when this began, you tried to make entry." Yuki just nodded and bent his head in shame.

"The old woman tricked me." He mumbled.

"Not on purpose." Shibuki added nervously.

"It was entirely on purpose!" Yuki cried but Temari reigned them back in.

"What happened when you tried?"

"I couldn't cut a hole big enough to fit through before it re-sealed itself."

"So it's self-regulating." Temari mumbled to herself as she pinched her chin in thought. And for the second time, she wondered what Shikamaru would do in this situation. What strategy he would concoct to diminish a raw source of chakra?

Man, what was her deal, anyway?

Wait! That was it!

The ground began to tremble as Gaara summoned more sand from the earth to attack the sphere again.

"Don't bother." Temari waved a hand at him. "Save your strength. I have a plan."


	14. That One Reason

**_Chapter 14_**

"Azumamaru was a kind child. Always looking to make friends with everyone he met." Arai Azumi's hair spread out around her like a fan. The tip of her pointed toes grazed over the surface of the glossy floor. She was sinking lower and lower the longer we remained in the _Tsukoyomi_ , and it wasn't just that. Her ethereal hair had lost a lot of its glow, including that one dash of gray that I had caused. I sat panting on the floor, my whole body felt heavier: my limbs were hefty and sluggish, my mind, practically numb at this point.

The scene around us shifted to a cherry blossom orchard, and while it was beautiful, it did nothing to ease the weight on my soul. My fingers splayed on the green blades of grass as delicate pink petals drifted down around us.

I swallowed hard as a squeal of delight reached my ears. A young boy came dashing through the trees, arms splayed out in front of him to catch him in case he fell. He wore a simple pale green tunic and his dark brown hair was buzzed short in places and long in others.

"Get back here you little menace!" An older man sped up behind the boy, wearing clothes that I recognized as being from the Maeda clan.

A servant chasing his master.

A little boy having gotten ahold of the clippers.

"That's him?" I panted, and Azumi nodded.

"That was him." The boy and the servant continued their chase until they ran out of sight and we were back under the Sakura petals alone. "He was always getting into mischief, especially after his brother was born."

"Azito?" I asked skeptically.

"Children are not born evil."

A huge rush of fire suddenly shot through a row of cherry trees, singing the pink petals into black ash. Out of the flame, I saw a flash and then a glint of steel as two Shinobi connect and parted. I tried to focus on their contacts but they were moving too fast for my eye to track.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Can't you tell?" She mused. I leaned forward to watch the exchange, but the bodies were still just blurs.

"No?"

"Then make it so you can." I sat back in the grass and stared hard at the last glint of metal I saw. I wanted to see who was fighting, who was faster than my eye could see. I was in control of this world. I had the power and the right to see.

I felt the grass brush against my leg as energy began to spiral towards me. There was no need for me to build up chakra in a place where I had complete control. So I simply said,

" _Stop_." With the wave of my hand, the scene paused instantly, and I finally saw the two ninja for who they were: the brothers, Azumamaru and Azito.

Azito was apparently a fire Jutsu user, being the owner of the fireball that nearly singed my eyebrows earlier. As his opposite, my father had apparently been a water type, using his tiger hand seal to spew water on the flaming sakura trees. They were frozen, suspended midair as they made to attack each other. Azumamaru's face was in shock as he gazed at the trees, while Azito's face was the picture of horror when he saw how out of control his attack had been. It was almost comical.

"They were both very strong." I shrugged and let the scene play out. Time hit play as the two brothers began to fight again, this time Azumamaru with the upper hand as Azito panicked over the sakura.

"They, as well as my parents' generation, were called, 'the _Watashimasu'_ , the Skipped. They trained and surpassed everyone they could because they did not obtain the family Kekkei Genkai, and they did not want to feel inadequate. They were all brilliant Shinobi in their own rights, but never as strong as those with the limit."

"Are you saying, you spurned an entire generation just because they didn't get the good genes?" I balked at her. The boys continued to fight in the background as she shook her head slowly and I swallowed as a streak of silver bled from her scalp to the tips of her hair on the other side of her head from the first one. It seemed that every time I took control of the _Tsukuyomi_ , Azumi lost a little more of her youth.

"There was no discrimination among the Arai, it was simply that those with the bloodline limit were stronger, and there was nothing the _Watashimasu_ could do to compete." I was about to retort, but noticed the silence. The boys had disappeared, and the scorched petals of the sakura trees looked as though they'd never been touched.

"So these aren't memories then?" I pursed my lips at her.

"They _are_ , but it's easier for me to simply generate apparitions, as opposed to changing the whole world. They are the recollections of the people, set against a neutral background of a beautiful realm."

"Oh yeah? And what's all that beauty compensating for?"

"My, my…so you only pretend to be pitiful." She mused as I screeched at her.

" _I am not pitiful_!"

"The sakura blossoms calm me." She exhaled through her nose as another gust of imaginary wind blew petals around us in a whirlwind dance.

This time, between the petals, I saw a version of my father that I recognized. He was older, probably mid to late twenty's, and was standing before a beautiful woman. She had long violet hair that reached well past her waist, and sported at least a seven-layer kimono, all brilliant shades of purple, pink and green. They were holding hands and talking mutely.

"Who is that? I can't hear them." I said to Azumi.

"That is Teiko, Azumamaru's wife. Your step mother." My skin bristled at the realization. How many more family members was I going to have thrown at me in such a short amount of time?!

"W-what are they saying?"

"One needs not hear the words to understand the meaning of _this_ conversation." I looked back at the couple, trying to understand, when I saw Azumamaru fall to his knees, his forehead resting on he and his wife's clasped hands. By the heave of his shoulders, I could tell he was sobbing, and even though she remained perfectly poised, I saw the glisten of tears on my step mother's cheeks as well.

Something was wrong. This was not the "I had an affair" conversation. From the agony on their faces, it looked as though someone had died.

 _Died_.

Who else would a couple cry over as if they had passed away?

"Oh god…" I cupped my hand over my mouth. "They lost their child."

"On the contrary." Azumi's voice was steely and I couldn't be sure if those weren't tears in her eyes as well. "This was the day Teiko finally told her husband that they would _never_ have children."

"She was barren!"

"Yes. It seems a childhood incident left her with a severe abdominal infection. Serious enough to ruin her chances at becoming a mother."

"And she didn't tell him until just now!" I cried and looked back at the weeping couple.

"They hid it from us when we reached out to them to arrange the marriage." There was a definite finality about Teiko's posture that told me she had been grieving long before this. I couldn't help but feel defeated as Shibuki's words finally hit me: _'That must be why Azumamaru did what he did. Because he knew you were destined to have the trait.'_

The couple washed away with another gust of wind, but this time, so did the cherry orchard. Sand stung my cheeks and eyes and I shielded my face. When I lowered my hands, I gaped at what I saw.

Home!

 _Suna_! Right before my eyes!

We sat on a dune, just outside the city walls and before us, once again was Azumamaru. This time, however, it was not Teiko he was standing with. It took me a few moments to recognize her, what with her hair being tightly bound it a bun, and the shabby yukata she wore. But it was definitely Giia, and I paled as I watched her tentatively put her hands on my father's arms, stand all the way up on her tippy toes, and kiss him. Her reluctance was confusing, and it was absolutely nothing like the mother I knew…

Or thought I knew.

"He kept her from us for a very long time." With a wave of her hand, Azumi urged the sand to wash away her memories. I didn't want to see their intimacy any more than she did, it seemed. It just didn't sit right with me. Had Giia been someone else entirely? When did she become the woman I knew as opposed to this stranger everyone else recognized? "Those are questions I cannot answer."

"I wasn't asking _you_." I muttered, annoyed that she was reading my mind again. "I was just asking."

Another gust of wind brought forth my father again, but this time he sat in a wooden chair, his head in his hands. He was older now, with streaks of grey striping his once rich brown hair. His huge stature dwarfed the tiny seat, but his all-around presence was the smallest I'd ever seen it.

"What's this?"

"Your seventh birthday." My spine snapped ramrod straight as I stared at him. Azumi floated around me to him, hovering over his tormented shoulder. "He kept Giia hidden for many years, but once you were born, it didn't take long for him to tell us."

"Why?"

"Because he was _excited_." She illuminated. "When you finally achieve something you've been striving for your whole life, there is no hiding it." She looked back at me over his shoulder with an almost critical glance.

"If he was _so_ excited, why does he look like that?" I jutted my chin towards his anguished form.

"Because we forbade him from every seeing you."

" _You what_!" She'd said it with such a casual dismissal, that I could help the fury that vibrated through every imaginary grain of sand.

"Oh, stop that. Don't act so naïve." She chided as the world flickered for half a second at my rage. "Azumamaru was our clan leader, the upmost authority in our village. If the world would have found out that he had produced a child with our sacred Kekkei Genkai out of wedlock, his credibility would have been shot and you would have been hunted down."

"Hunted down? Why?" I seethed.

"Because of his actions, you were not born into the world of clans or hierarchy, therefore you do not understand. Bastards are in this world but they are not of it. They are a disgrace, a shame, a blemish on the face of the clans and their pristine history."

"My god…" I stared at her as she furrowed her brow and for once, turn up her nose.

"This prejudice lies at the heart of any clan, the Arai are no different, but at the same time, we did not want to be responsible for the atrocity that would ensue should the world find out."

"So you just let him there? Like that!" I cried.

"There was nothing we could do for _his_ heart. All we could do was bury the truth so we could spare _yours_."

We sat in silence for a long while as the sand washed away the man who sat in bitter silence and lulled away the guilt I was tacking onto my soul. I guess it makes sense, really. Azumamaru…my father, had been the center of an affair. He broke clan law, he had a child with their sacred Kekkei Genkai and tried to hide it…her…me.

It was a mercy that they had allowed me to live, but also a silent plea. I was the only one in my generation that I know of. I was Azreah, the third—Azreah the last. If I didn't continue the line somehow…their sacred Kekkei Genkai might cease to exist.

Ugh, this was exhausting. I missed Suna, with all its crazy, but upfront people. I missed the sand, its comforting coarseness always rubbing up against my hands, legs or feet, always sheering away anything that wasn't strong enough to withstand its abrasive caress. And, I missed _Gaara_. I think I missed him most of all, his wild red hair and dusty armor. I wanted him to look at me and smile like he only smiled at me, and I wanted to crawl into bed with him and pretend that this was all a dream. That I was exactly who I had been when I went to bed with him, and not this new person…

 _Azreah_ —

"Save you?" A gasp parted my lips as an image of Gaara knelt down before me and stretched out his hand. He was a little grainy, like I was imagining his sand clone form, but I couldn't help the relief that spread through my body just at the sight of him. There was nothing I could do but nod numbly and try to swallow the lump in my throat.

Suddenly, in a big rush, the Chuunin Exam arena sprang up behind us in a tsunami of sand, and every little detail of the village shifted to accommodate for _my_ memories, as opposed to Azumi's.

I was taking control of the _Tsukuyomi_ , because this was my home and she had it wrong. Grave stones shot up around the rim of the village walls, to signal just how many people had died since Arai Azumi had made it out of her country and behind Gaara, sand clones of Temari, Kankurou, and Hiniku shot up from the sand.

The snuffle that escaped my lips was unexpected, but I didn't bother trying to take it back. Their _faces_ …It was like just seeing their faces gave me strength.

"Been a rough day, huh Gana?" Hiniku smiled delightedly at me.

"It's about time you came home, don't you think?" Temari pumped a fist into her hip and slung a lazy gaze over me.

"Yeaaaaah, this place is kinda sketchy." Kankurou shifted his eyes around and rolled forward and backward on the balls of his feet. It was like he was the _real_ Kankurou, and he could see behind the illusion of the desert to the monochrome plane of the original _Tsukuyomi_.

The lines on Gaara's face were softer than I knew they were, but I couldn't help but reach up and stroke them.

"You are going to be so mad at me…" I whispered, but his clone only gave me that fleeting smile that made my stomach do flips.

"Even if you gave me a hundred reasons to leave, I will always look for that one reason to fight for you." The snuffle turned to sob as my hand trailed up into his hair and watched my fingers get lost in his red locks.

"You're only saying that because you're my subconscious." I choked out.

"Perhaps, but the old woman did say to listen to your heart, and it's saying that I love you, so I ask again—Save you?" His hand gently pulled mine away from his hair and held it firmly in his.

Before I could answer, I chanced a look back at the old woman, to see what she made of this. As pitiful as she thought I was, could someone so weak have a bond so strong? But when I looked back at the celestial being I wanted to trump at her own game, it was not what I found. Arai Azumi stood heavily in the sand, her feet buried, her hands limp at her sides as the face of an old weary woman stared at me.

"Azumi?" I muttered and then suddenly remembered that I had control of this world.

"Some things are worth it." She mumbled, his voice thick, as her knobby knees gave out and she fell to the ground in a heap.

"Save you!"

* * *

"I suddenly find myself doubting this plan." Shibuki muttered as he handed Temari a satchel full of grenades.

"Yeah, well, nobody asked you." Temari snapped.

"I'm with the Taki dude on this one, Sis. This may be the most far-fetched plan you've ever come up with." Kankurou tried but her fury turned his way and he shrank under her gaze…and her fist full of bombs.

"Well stop! It's fine! All the math checks out."

"Not that I doubt your math skills, Lady, but—"

"Seriously, all of you— _Shut up_. You're not even risking your lives here, Gaara is, and you don't see him complaining." Temari yelled at Yuki who winced. All of the Taki ninja who were standing around looked at each other in both confusion and amusement. These Suna nin had to be some kind of joke.

"Okay well, at least take me through it one last time." Kankurou sighed in defeat.

"Nope. There's no time for rehearsals, we can't wait any longer."

"Temari!"

"My God, fine!" She threw up her hands in annoyance. "But the longer we play drama club, the longer Gana is in there."

"Then run through it _quickly_." Yuki snapped and everyone took half a step back. Kankurou sniffed uncomfortably as he looked the Chuunin over again. Never, in Kankurou's many years of knowing Yuki, had he ever acted like this to the siblings, and _never_ in the presence of a superior, let alone the Kazekage! Kankurou guessed that it just went to show what kind of woman Daagana was, how she inspired such devotion.

"Right. It's simple really." Temari nodded and faced the swirling ball of chakra that had encased all of Arai Azumi's hut. "Yuki said that he _was_ able to get through, but the shell is self-regulating, so it fixes any breech in its perimeter. But by the amount of force being exerted by the chakra, and the frequency of its spikes, I posit that if we attack on multiple fronts all at the same time, we can weaken the connection enough to get a man through." Yuki opened his mouth to object for the hundredth time that he should be the one going in, but Gaara silenced him with a glare. If anyone was going to die saving Daagana, it was going to be him.

In the end, Temari passed out grenades to the Shinobi who didn't possess any long range attack Jutsu, and then positioned them around the edge of the chakra sphere. Sixteen ninja, including herself and Kankurou surrounded the hut, with Yuki at the very center, Gaara standing directly behind him. It would be up to Yuki to slice through the Chakra and get Gaara inside. Right before, Gaara would activate his sand shield which would, in theory, keep him from being torn to shreds while he made his way into the hut and…stopped…whatever was actually going on. Temari couldn't help but groan as she readied her giant fan. Getting in was no problem, it was getting out that would be the issue and she had no way of knowing what Gaara was going to find once they lost sight of him. It wasn't a good feeling.

"Alright, on my mark!" Temari screamed at the top of her lungs so everyone around the semi-circle could hear her over the howl of the wind. "San…ni…ichi… _now_!"

Sixteen simultaneous attacks on the sphere caused the sky to light up with fireworks as energy combatted energy. Lightning erupted from the surface of the chakra shell in a crackling symphony at all points of contact, as two heartbeats after the first attack, Yuki jabbed his arm in. His hand met the familiar resistance, but it gave way slowly as he pushed further in.

"Keep going! It's working!" He yelled as he sank up to his elbow. He braced his attacking arm with his other hand and bowed his head away from the menagerie of color, light and zing. It was making a mess of his eyes, but he didn't need them for this anyway. He didn't need to make any precise cuts, just one big enough for the red head who held a firm grip on his shoulder.

There were cries of pain, one after another, as some of the sixteen were fended off by the monstrous chakra. They flew back, one even so far as a block away. Villagers were out of their houses, shrieking and pointing at the immense display unfolding before them.

"Attack! _Again_! Keep going until they're through!" Temari roared as another hurricane tore out of her fan and smashed into the shell.


	15. If I Could Just

**A/N: Wajagirlliz is probably my favorite person in the world! Thank you for your diligent reviews T_T**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 15_**

It felt like his skin was sheering off, like he was caught in a sand storm that he himself hadn't created. The top layer of his sand armor was already being assaulted by the exacting force of the lawless chakra, and Gaara shielded his eyes as Yuki tore open a portal for him to slip through.

It was like weaving through the sheets on a clothes line. Soft caresses on either side that still suffocated him, and stalled him, pretending that there wasn't a deadly force behind it.

Bright lights flashed before his eyes as he pushed through the outer shell and made it to the chaotic core. There were no soft touches of gentle wind here. He threw his hands back up to cover his face as he blindly began one step after the other.

Just keep going east, he told himself. Though he could see little through the blinding wind, he could make out the details, and trusted the pull of his gut as his own useless Kekkei Genkai laid out the path for him.

The howl of the wind was deafening for a few moments and sounded like a thousand dying people crying out all at once, but three heartbeats after he entered…the screams absolutely vanished. He had to stop and look back at the hole he had slipped through but saw that it had re-sealed itself. A watery image of Yuki rippled beyond the energy, his worry still evident even as his figure gushed.

Gaara pushed on. Through the silence, through the chakra, hands shielding his head, feet straining for purchase. Each step felt like a battle as he shoved one foot in front of the other, feeling the rocks slip under his sandals and occasionally bounce against his legs. The earth was levitating, raising to meet the power that was being concentrated here.

The world was a white wash of blurry lines and angles, but he could make out the edges of the house, and the slant of the ground. He braved a glance over his forearms to judge his distance again, only to see the entirety of his effort had only taken him a few feet. With every battle of footing he won, the wind edged him back more and more. It was like taking two steps forward and one step back. He growled in frustration, but was unnerved as it didn't reach his ears, only reverberated in his chest. He felt the sentience begin leech out of him the longer he was wrapped up in this hurricane. It was like the color was bleeding out of him. The snow blindness of his senses made it feel like his tanned skin was paling and the goard on his back was shrinking. He was fading away, being absorbed into this blanche landscape of nothingness.

Wildly, Gaara doubled—no, tripled, his efforts and tried to force his body into a sprint, but only ended up trotting at a walking pace. Still, the hut loomed closer and closer as the chakra crashed against his bleaching armor. He could feel it buckle under the pressure but he shored up each spot with a boost of his chakra. He figured he didn't want to know what it would feel like if his armor cracked and that angry energy swept over his bare skin. It was already oozing out his color, he was pretty sure he wouldn't _have_ skin anymore if that happened. Azur lights flashed on either side of his peripheral vision as the sixteen Shinobi outside continued their attack on the shell. He could almost make out what kind of attack they used, based on the spread of blue tint that permeated the landscape. It looked like liquid bleeding into fabric as it expanded, soaked in and disippated.

Even though he was through and making his way in, Gaara figured Temari was ordering them to carry on, to make it so he had a means of escape, but what his sister didn't understand was that if he didn't succeed, there would be no escaping. It was why he refused to let Yuki go in his stead, why he didn't voice his concern with their lack of exit stategy. If he failed and Daagana was lost, he was going to be lost with her.

There would be no living without her, he concluded. Not without her smiles in the morning, or her constant presence in his office, or her determined eyes when they sparred at their usual place at their usual time. _Their_ place. If she was gone, it wouldn't be their place anymore, and he had long since realized that there would be no living in a world where she wasn't constantly being a joy and a burden at the same time. Daagana might be a little obluvious and clumsy, but she never backed away from him when he was frustrated or tried to look down on him for being inexperienced. She helped and encouraged him as much as she could, and even though she sometimes knew even less than he about political affiliations, trade routes, social situations, or general things in life that two sheltered kids didn't realize, she always _tried_. She often took it upon herself to save face for him when they had to admit their lack of knowledge in public or to the council. She never stopped protecting him and she was never not there.

And now, live or die, he would be there fore her.

Finally, Gaara reached the bleak lines of the floating porch. The steps leading up hovered lazily at his waist, and he had to unshield his face as he climbed up—extremely ungracefully…and not very fitting of a Kazekage. The flap of fabric that had once been the door was long since gone, maybe even disintegrated, and just beyond the threshold, Gaara could make out the outline of two bodies. His heart thudded with relief when he saw that they were both sitting up, casually facing each other, both outlines in a little more color than everything else. At least he didn't have to come upon her having already been too late. At least there was still some semblance of a chance that they could both walk out of here.

The pressure on the porch seemed to double as he tried to get to his feet, but ended up crawling to the door. He could see her…she was right there.

Both women wore a string of pearls around their neck that Gaara vaguely remembered Yuki telling him about. Hanasaka Pearls, chakra amplifiers. Daagana sat crossed legged across from the old woman, Gaara assumed was Arai Azumi. The anger he had been building up at her waned a little as he saw the crease of the grandma's brow, and the shadow of sweat trickling along her upper lip. She looked like she was in pain, like she regretted this decision. On the other hand, Daagana's eyes were wide open, but the entirety of her optics were stained black. If Gaara moved his head to just the right angle, he could see tendrils of _black_ flicking out from them, like her eyes had become a pit from hell, as demons tried to claw their way out. Her once beautiful, artful, jutsu was terrifying him once again.

There was a difference in power between them, yes. While Shukaku afforded Gaara massive amounts of brute strength and stamina, his fighting style was crush, obliterate, trample. Gaara was a tactile fighter with both his demon and his sand. But Daagana…her _black_ was a spy among warriors. The pen to his sword, per say. Her _black_ , while it could be used in physcial smash and grab type jutsus, was more eloquent than that. Her power could seep into souls and crush someone from the inside out, if she ever learned to use it properly, that is. And Gaara hoped to high heaven that she never did. Because looking at her now, in whatever higher form she could possibly achieve, he was horrified.

Gaara gripped the edge of the doorframe and hauled himself to his feet. His knees wanted to buckle under the pressure of gravity made heavy by chakra but he wouldn't give in. His fingers dug into the wood as he forcefully pulled himself inside the room. The women didn't seem to be affected by the immense chakra that was almost blasting him back outside, but he held fast. They were just a few feet in the door, sitting serenely on pillows like they were waiting for their tea to steep. The only difference was the fireworks of lights exploding between their hands.

Daagana's hands were extended palm down, with Azumi in a similar position with her palms up. Between them sang a symphony of energy. In the silence, the closer Gaara got to it, a slight ringing sounded in his ears. The brilliant blue droplet of chakra was swirling and twisting, shooting out trails of energy that looked like fireflies as they danced around the room. It was unsettling, the juxtaposition of this beautiful ballet beside the voids that were Daagana's eyes.

Before the tendrils of darkness could fluster him anymore, Gaara pushed himself off the wall in attempt to grab for her. If he could just interrupt the exchange, snap her out of it some how…they could go home. They could be done with this. It was dangerous to think of that type of outcome before any action had been taken. He knew this from years of disappointment, but he couldn't stop the burning in his chest. He would hope. He would take her back to Suna and never let her out of his sight again. She would be safe, and she would be with him. He would hope and he would pray.

The gravity around them pressed down harder on him half way through his reach and he froze…suspended between the wall and Daagana, arm outstretched to touch her. He could feel the armor around his face and neck buckle and there no amount of reinforecement that could keep the plates from cracking in a spiderweb of fissures, spiraling out from the tattoo on his forehead. _Love_ seemed an appropriate source of his downfall, after all there was no one he loved more than Daagana, not even his siblings, not even his Uncle, and she was about to be the death of him. The thought suddenly reminded him of something Naruto had said, the words that changed Gaara's life forever:

 _"I've been there, in that dark and lonely place, but now there are others, other people who mean a lot to me. I care more about them than I do myself, and I won't let anyone hurt them. That's why I'll never give up! It's because they saved me from myself, they rescued me from my loneliness, and they were the first to accept me for who I am. They're my friends, and I love them!"_

* * *

It was to the point that the only shinobi left attacking were Temari with her tired fan, Kankurou almost out of poison gas, Yuki trying to maintain the barrier, and Shibuki dangerously low on Chakra. All the other Shinobi had either been blasted away by the repercussive barrier or were lying half conscious from sustaining so long.

"One more…" Temari panted, her arms shaking from even gripping her fan. She was next she knew it. One more swipe, that was probably all she had left, but it didn't matter. Once her energy reserves were dry she would switch to lobbing bombs at the cursed chakra. And when there were no more bombs to throw, she would beat it into oblivion with her bare hands if she had to! "One more…" There was no way she was going to stop now…not when everything was riding on it! With all her might, Temari swiped her fan across the winds and sent a tired tornado careening into the barrier. It blasted into the barrier and dissipated without actually doing any damage, signaling her wind was no longer forceful, just a gentle breeze upon the general circulation. The weight shift sent off set her balance, though and she lost her footing. Her knees hit the ground painfully before the rest of her followed. Her fan landed a few feet away in a pile of dirt, but she didn't have the strength to be mad about it.

"Temari!" Kankrou called and pulled Crow back from his attack to rush to her side.

"Keep…going." She panted angrily as Kankurou scooped her up against him. A retaliation wave of chakra spun out to smother them but was blocked by Yuki and Salamander for good measure.

"We can't. We're done. It's over." Her brother knelt beside her, cradling her like she was five years old again. She grabbed ahold of his arm as forcefully as she could manage, but he didn't seem to notice her urgency.

"We have to. He needs us!" She growled and tried to stand but he held her firm.

"I think we'll just have to admit that he doesn't need us as much as we wish he did." Kankurou smirked down at his sister sadly. She hiccupped at his statement and furiously looked away. Neither wanted to admit that he had grown into his own. Neither wanted to admit that they may have used the time allotted to them after wasting so much of it.

For twelve long years they neglected their little brother. Shunned him, hid _from_ him, refused to heal whatever wounds they had unknowingly inflicted. There were times when they forgot he existed, but were sorely reminded when he would come home from another foiled assassination plot. And then it was like the monster they had feared for so long had suddenly been replaced with a brother—and actual flesh and blood human. He was theirs and they could feel it from the moment they picked him up in the Fire Land woods. It was awkward and they didn't know what to say to each other, but as long as all three tried, all the wounds could be mended. Fast forward three-ish years and here they were, about to lose him again.

But things had changed since they brought him home the first time. Gaara fell in love. Not at first and not really that fast, but eventually, his tattoo meant something to him other than a life lesson etched in blood. And now it was that same love that could possibly tear him away from them.

It was perhaps the first time in Temari's life that she wished that maybe he had been more cautious, maybe a bit more strict in her role as the big sister. But, inevitably, there would have been no stopping it. Daagana was like a flame Gaara had been drawn to. That everyone had been drawn to. The sand siblings all loved her. The village loved her…

And they both knew that there was absolutely nothing they could do about love.

* * *

Yuki knelt in bitter silence as the last of the attacks died away. The shell was impregnable and yet he's allowed his Kage to go in without him, without anything. Shame raged through him as he tried desperately to find his leader amidst the gale of vim that still surrounded the house. He could barely see it now, all the features being distorted by the water like lap of the exterior.

It had been fifteen minutes.

Fifteen of the longest minutes of his life since he sliced his way through the surface and allowed his leader to enter alone…unprepared. His fingers dug crossly into the earth made soft by the pull of gravity. There was no need to use his hands now to keep his own barricade in place. After days and hours, it was probably his best ability now. He could do it in his sleep. Absently, he thought of what he would call this new technique, who he would teach it to, what it could be used for. The Barrier Technique? The Iced Shell? But then, who would even listen to him, want to learn from him when they found out that he was to blame for the death of their Kazekage? Fugi would be thrilled for sure. The old man might even come before him, explain to Yuki how he did the right thing, how he served his village with pride.

And then he would kill that man.

Gaara had wanted to prove to Fugi and the village that he was capable of more than just killing, therefore he allowed Fugi the freedom to scheme and plot his way up to the throat of the Kage. But there would be no pretense when Yuki took his life. And then there would be no room left in his heart for his pacifism. He'd allowed himself to be tricked and Daagana will die because of it, he followed the distraught order of his Kage that will bring about his demise, and because of their deaths, the Wind and Waterfall will go to war.

His heart would forever be a bundled, twisted mass of guilt and shame. Just as soon at this was over…and from the shift in the chakra, it was going to be over soon.

* * *

Every muscle and fiber in his being was reaching out for her. She was so close. Inches…

He strained even further, unable to push off from the wall any longer, and unable to pull himself forward any more. It was a stand off. He was suspended between his doom and deliverance.

He just needed a push.

Think Gaara, think.

The only thing connected to the earth was his feet, he couldn't reach the doorframe to cast off again, and he was only inches away from Daagana. What else could he use? Most of his sand was wrapped up in his armor, trying to keep together the cracks on his face, but he did have another source of sand to use. The giant gourd on his back began to disintegrate on command. The chakra-filled sand had no trouble with the energy whipping around and shot back to the doorframe. From that base, it built out on itself until he could feet the clump on his back. Then, with his last remaining stamina, he used his sand to push him the rest of the way across the finish line.

He brushed her cheek.

The world exploded.


	16. The Tsukuyomi

**_A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is out late. It's New Years...you guys understand XD_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 16_**

It was hard to move. It was hard to breathe. It was hard to…anything. Which was new…which meant I wasn't in the _Tsukuyomi_ anymore. The last thing I could remember was my feet being cemented in that sand dune; one hand grasping for Gaara and the other reaching out for Azumi. For an infinite moment it felt like I was being torn apart, like no matter what, I'd have to let go of one to achieve the other. But there was no way—

The light was harsh on my eyes. I wanted to lift my hand and shield myself from it but my arm would barely cooperate. Just the slightest twitch of my pinky sent bolts of lightning up my arms and down my legs.

All I could make out were washes of color: pale yellows, pinks, slate blues and greens. There was nothing that distinctly told me where I was or how Azumi had managed to move me. Yuki probably did it. Maybe this was Shibuki's house, Yuki was sent to get him after all. Or maybe the darkness had swallowed Azumi's hut whole and she would be furious when she learned I was awake. I clamped my eyes shut and cut off the vague colors. Like an afterthought, my senses started to come back to me: I could feel my toes and fingertips skimming over the rough surface of a scratchy blanket, my mouth was like a wad of cotton struggling to swallow, and faintly, voices began to reach my ears.

"…look I understand you're all upset but—"

"Upset? Upset! I don't think you can even fathom how _upset_ we are! She almost died!"

"And you act like that's my fault!"

"You told her to go! You showed her the way!"

"What was I supposed to do? Deny her, her heritage? It was her clan, she would have gone even if I had told her not to."

"You had no right to fill her head with that bull—"

"Watch your mouth, girl. Remember whose village you're in."

There was a pause as the conversation died down to muddled whispers, but I knew those voices, I could match the faces to the glares I was fairly certain they were wearing.

They belonged to Temari and Lady Tsunade. But why was the Hokage in Takigakure? I opened my eyes again as the world started to come into focus. The colors were still kaleidoscoping my vision but the faded white tiles of the ceiling, next to the florescent electric lights, along with the rough hospital blankets I was wrapped in told me everything I needed to know. The Hokage wasn't in Taki. _I_ wasn't even in Taki.

I was in Konoha.

My eye twitched as the pieces all fell together in my head. I was in the _Tsukuyomi_ , we were in her hut, we were in Taki, we were at the Arai compound…when exactly did they even have time to bring me here?

This was so bad. I was in so much trouble. If Temari was already arguing with the Hokage then it was no doubt that Gaara was already on his way, if not—

"You shouldn't move too much." His voice startled me so much that my entire body reacted. Pain screamed through every nerve ending as I tensed. When I finally managed to look over, I couldn't believe that I had missed him. I mean…Gaara was hard to miss, with his bold colors in this world of pastels. Even if all the lines weren't crisp and I couldn't make out the edges of anything, I still shouldn't have missed him. He sat rigidly in the chair beside my bed, his gourd resting against the frame, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped like he was choking someone to death.

But it was his face that brought tears to my eyes, his expression. He was looking at me like I had utterly betrayed him just by waking up, like I had ripped out his heart and then offered it back to him whole, cause I didn't want it. My cotton mouth suddenly morphed into a desert and I struggled to gasp. In response to me probably gaping like a fish out of water, Gaara slowly reached over for the cup on the bedside table. He held it up for me to drink and when the bendy straw touched my lips, I sucked the whole glass of water dry.

At least now I could swallow and my tongue didn't feel like a cactus in my mouth. But it didn't really do anything for him, as he tossed the empty cup back on the side table and sat back in his chair—as far away from me as he could possibly get.

What was there to say? What could I say when he was looking at me like that? I never broke eye contact for a second, hoping that he would come closer, take my hand, talk to me, anything! I didn't think it would end like this, with him hating me.

"Gaara, I—"

"She's awake." Gaara's voice was solid in the silence and the door slid open behind me. I didn't bother looking at them though, it's was all I could do to keep him in my line of vision as he stood abruptly and rounded the bed without looking at me once. Temari, Hinata, and Sakura took up the space that he had left and I heard the final click of the door as it closed.

Not a single word.

He hadn't said a single word to me!

It couldn't be this bad. Yes, I disobeyed orders, but everything else I did was merited. I had been invited to Taki, it's not like I snuck in. The whole thing with Azito wasn't my fault either, _he_ attacked _me_ , and after that…I'm not really sure what happened. The memory of my heart tearing in half echoed around my head as I stared at the closed door.

"Oh, Gana-chan. Please don't cry." Hinata bent down to eye level with me as big fat tears rolled down my cheeks. They were doing nothing for my blurry vision, if not making it better, but it didn't matter. I didn't care. I would rather go back to the Tsukuyomi and be torn in half than lay here with him hating me.

"No, go ahead. Let her cry. It's her own fault." Temari hissed.

"Temari! Seriously?" Sakura snapped and shoved her out of the way.

"Yes seriously!" The blonde said and shoved back. Then her glare was turned on me and I shrank back into my pillows. "What the hell were you thinking? We broke so many laws this week that I'm not even sure how the world is still functioning!"

"Temari, I'm—" I tried to at least put it into words but she cut me off.

"Sorry? You're sorry? Well I'm sorry too! What was it? Was our family just not good enough for you that you had to go find yourself a better one?"

"No! I—"

"Well I hope you found what you were looking for because you can go right back to it for all I care…see if I care!" She screamed and then stormed out of the room. The three of us remaining sat in stunned silence for a moment before Hinata gently put a hand on my arm.

"She doesn't mean any of that. She's just upset." Her small fingers were cool to the touch as she worked them over my arms, to my burning face, pulling my hair back, adjusting my pillows. She was always quick to recover, Hinata, at least when it didn't concern her. I glanced over at her as Sakura dropped into the chair that Gaara had fled from.

"Upset or not, it makes no difference. She's a Kunoichi, she should know how to control her emotions better than that."

"I don't think you have much room to talk, Sakura." I hadn't even heard the door open, but it closed with a click as Tsunade made her way around the bed. "It wasn't that long ago that you were sneaking out of the village by moonlight bent on becoming a missing-nin." My eyes widened as they snapped to Sakura who only sunk deeper into her chair.

"That was a long time ago."

Having proved her point, Tsunade turned to Hinata who was still gliding her cool fingers over my arms.

"How is she looking?" Hinata quickly stood and moved aside so Tsunade could examine my arm on her own.

"I c-closed all the affected points and it seems like her s-system has returned t-to normal."

"Wait, you what!" I cried and snatched my arm away. I glared at my own skin but my eyes still wouldn't make out the detail.

"Oh calm down, it was just a precaution." Tsunade waved off my alarm and grabbed my other arm.

"A precaution for what? Hokage-sama, how did I even get here?" Her brown eyes were like splatters of mud on a lighter canvas and I rubbed my face. I couldn't see anything! Not the dozens of specks that dotted my skin where Hinata had closed my points, not the concern etched into the brows of my friends, not the fear reflecting in the Hokage's eyes.

"Ladies, can we have the room?" Her voice was even as she let go of my arm and stepped back. Frantically, I found the blue smudge that was Hinata and begged her to stay, but she obediently followed Sakura out and the door clicked shut again behind them.

When it was just me and the Hokage, I achingly sat up so I was at least level with her. Moving seemed to be easier after whatever Hinata had done, but my sight was still failing me. She didn't seem to note my wild glances and casually walked over to the big window. The sun was just nudging the horizon as she leaned against its ledge.

"So what happened?" She asked. Her voice wasn't cold like Gaara's or full of fury like Temari's. It was just her normal, 'let's have sake after this' voice, and for that at least, I was grateful.

"I don't…really know." I managed.

"Would you like to?" She asked as she turned back to me. Her voice might have been easy but I could tell her face did not say 'let's have sake after this'.

"You're not making it seem like I do." I swallowed as she flicked one of her ponytails over her shoulder and slumped into the chair Gaara had been in.

"It took some time, but we eventually figured it out from analyzing the wreckage."

"Wreckage?" I asked.

"Apparently it's a part of the Dark Release to be able to manipulate dimensions. I don't know if Arai Azumi told you this, but it's very similar to an ability obtained by those only in possession of the—"

"Sharingan. You're talking about the _Tsukuyomi_." She raised an eyebrow at me.

"So she did tell you about it?"

"She didn't just tell me, we were there." At that, Tsunade rolled her shoulders and shook her head. It took a few moments for her to speak again, but when she did, it was barely over a whisper.

"What happened while you were under?"

"Under?"

"While you were in the _Tsukuyomi_."

"I mean, nothing important. She showed me memories of my father. What he was like as a little boy, and the truth behind his affair with Giia."

"That's it?"

The part that stuck out the most was the end; reaching for Gaara, reaching for Azumi, being stuck in the sand. I wanted to tell her about it, get her opinion on what it could have possibly meant, but for some reason I couldn't make my tongue form the words. I could tell she was looking at me in earnest, wanting to get every piece of information she could, but she hadn't given me any answers. In fact, she was only giving me more things to question. What did she mean by wreckage? Why did she have her Kage face on? She had told me to go, so why was she acting like it was a bad thing I had come back? Temari had yelled at her, cursed her for putting me in danger, but I don't even remember being in any danger, and Hinata closed my Chakra points? Something was very wrong here, and I wasn't above thinking this was some kind of trick Azumi had concocted.

So I casually shook my head. "That's it."

She didn't believe me and I knew it, but I lifted my chin up a bit more. She wasn't going to get the rest out of me, not at least until I got my own questions answered. She sighed before standing and stretching. "When can I see her?" I asked before she could make her move to leave. People were leaving left and right, but I needed at least one person to tell me what was going on. Tsunade looked back at me slowly, puzzled, like she couldn't figure out what I was asking. "Arai Azumi. I'd like to see her, unless she's still in Taki. I guess that would make the most sense…" I mumbled.

"You want…to see her?" She asked.

"Uhh yes? What? Is she mad that I ruined her father's house? She can get over it. Most of it was a Genjutsu anyway. It's not—"

"Arai Azumi…" Tsunade stopped me sharply and I clamped my mouth shut. She paused and searched my face, like she was looking for some glimmer in my eyes that would tell her what ulterior motives I had behind wanting to see my Great Aunt.

"Yes, Azumi-sama. She was in the—"

"She's dead, Gana."

"What? No. No, you must have the wrong woman. She's old, like really old, and she has grey hair with these streaks of blonde. She was in the hut with me. We were—"

"And the hut exploded. Daagana…don't you remember anything?" She sat down cautiously on the edge of my bed, but I just kept searching her face, waiting for that sick sense of humor that always came out of her when times were tough.

This was a joke. It had to be.

"Of course I remember. We went to the Uchiha district in Konoha, the cherry blossom orchards of Southern Waterfall, I saw my father with his wife and my mother, and I saw Suna. I took control of the _Tsukuyomi_ and—"

"Shh, shh." She shushed me at the name. "Don't say it again."

"What? _Tsukuyomi_?"

"Daagana." She warned.

"What? Why can't I say it? Azumi said the Arai are born with it. It's in my blood—"

"And it's forbidden!" She snapped and hopped off the bed.

"Why?"

"Because the only other people capable of… _it,_ were the Uchiha."

"Yeah, and they're all dead."

"And how do you think they died, you stupid girl?" She growled. "They died just like your Aunt did. In a flurry of power and alone in the dark. You want to know what happened, I'll tell you what happened. You were stuck in a Chakra induced trace for two days. Your guard Yuki almost killed himself protecting the village from you and your _family_. Gaara too. He sliced his way into the Chakra shell that manifested around the house to get you, only to find out that you were the source of its power. When he finally made a move to get you out, the energies combusted, taking out almost a whole block of Taki real-estate. The only reason you're alive is because you landed under Gaara's sand shell.

You want to know what happened, Daagana? Your Great Aunt died because she threw you into one of the most powerful Genjutsu in existence without stopping to think if you could handle it. And you can't, you couldn't. That's what—"

"I think you've made your point, Tsunade."

The stretch of wall opposite my bed had to be the most interesting spot in the room, and I clung to it, stared at it until my eyes were so dry I had to blink. But I couldn't blink. If I blinked, the world would start spinning again. If I blinked, everything the Hokage had said would be true and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if it was. Shikaku stepped easily into my line of vision, opposite his leader, who seemed to realize that she had gone off the rails. Even as a smudge, I could easily tell it was Shikaku from his spikey hair and lazy posture. Tsunade, however, adjusted her coat and hair before quickly making her way out of the room. She didn't even spare me a glance as she left, and I wondered if this was just how it was supposed to end. With everyone I love walking out of my life like they couldn't stand me anymore.

"Daagana—" Shikaku touched my arm. I flinched…and blinked. The dam broke and tears spewed from my eyes. "Oh no, come on. Hush now." Shikaku climbed his way up onto the bed and took me into his arms like I was the little girl Tsunade had chided. I sobbed into his flak jacket until it was a slobbery flannel mess, but he never let go. He stroked my hair and patted my back and never once said that I should stop, or how foolish I had been.

And truly…how foolish was I.

* * *

"Look, we want to avoid any other political scandals this week, so we're leaving as soon as possible." Temari sighed and stared out the window of the Hokage's office. She didn't even acknowledge the woman at the desk, but she didn't take offense at it.

"And you're taking her with you?" Tsunade asked as she laced her fingers in front of her. It'd been a long time since she lost her temper like that. The last time had been…when she beat the pulp out of Naruto. She stared at her fingers with a grimace.

There wasn't a single ounce of her that was going to admit that this might have been her fault. Daagana went to Taki of her own free will, and even if Tsunade had told her not to, everyone the girl would have gone anyway. There are some things that you just can't run from once you've started, and the truth was one of those things.

"Of course we are. We came all this way to get her, we're not gonna just leave her here." Kankurou lulled. Out of the three of them, he was the least perturbed by all this. He saw the pain coursing through his siblings, but Daagana was his sibling too, and after watching her cry herself to sleep, he couldn't bring himself to be mad at her.

"But you do realize that—"

"Look," He crossed one leg over the other casually, like he was about to close a business deal. "I read your briefing, and glanced at the scrolls you recommended. The Tsuku…whatever, is well documented. But you can't lay claim to it just because it looks like the Sharingan. Konoha is at the very bottom of the list of people who can claim her as their own. So we're taking her home to Suna, end of story."

The Sannin and the puppet master stared at each other for an overwrought moment before Tsunade fell back into her chair, signaling her defeat.

" _Tsukuyomi_ or no, she's not an Uchiha. So whatever you do, keep her away from one."

"Well seeing as the last one alive is hiding in a cave somewhere with your former teammate, I think it's safe to say that'll be easy." Her eyes turned furious at his remark but Kankurou stood and stretched, signaling his own victory. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he shouldn't antagonize her, the Hokage, their biggest ally, but he needed her to know that as Daagana's big brother, he wasn't about to stand Tsunade making her cry. Allies or not.


	17. The Door Swings Both Ways

**_Chapter 17_**

My eyes never did recover.

Hinata did the best she could, but seeing as I wouldn't let her tell Tsunade or Sakura, there wasn't much she could do with the minimal medical Jutsu she could use. She'd even gone so far as to plug the two points on either side of my eyes and then immediately open them again. Even though everyone had these points, Hinata said that this particular regiment was specific to Hyuugas, and that she would do it for Neji when he got Byakugan-induced headaches.

It didn't help.

I stayed in the hospital for three whole days, falling in and out of fitful nightmares. It couldn't really be called sleep because I never woke up rested, and it was almost always with a scream. IT was always either Gaara's face twisting in and out of focus or Azumi's crumpled figure being blown away like sand. I could never make out anything else, it was like those two figures were going to be it; the two halves of my life plaguing me until I died of sleep deprivation.

The black puffy bags under my eyes must have looked a lot worse than they felt because they were the only thing I could make out in my own reflection. The mirror was like an abstract painting: some muddy brown at the top, some mismatched tan around the middle, and dark rings circling dull squirts of gold. There was no life in my face and even I knew it.

Shikaku and Yoshino would come every day, sometimes together, sometimes not so they could talk about each other. Yoshino was annoyed that Shikaku was being lazier than usual and Shikaku was whining that his wife was pestering him more than normal. I didn't have the heart to tell them that I knew it was because they were worried about me. But I didn't miss the small tests Shikaku tried to perform, hoping I wouldn't notice, or Yoshino's bringing me things to read and then asking what I thought of them. They knew my vision was affected by my Kekkei Genkai, but they never asked me anything about it.

I didn't even want to think about it myself.

So, no sight. No big deal. There were plenty of things I could still do without being able to see. I could still pound noodle dough like master, I could still tend the herbs in my garden, although it would be a bit difficult getting there and back…and not stabbing myself with a spade. There would be no more missions, I couldn't be a ninja. But that thought hadn't cut me near as deep as I thought it would. I didn't care if they refused to let me go on missions, I would care if they refused to let me work in the Admin building. I became a ninja so I could be close to Gaara, and I became a Chuunin so I could work _with_ him. They couldn't pull me out now. Maybe they could just retire me, but let me stay a Chuunin. I mean, what better intelligence manager could they have than one who couldn't see the secrets?

"So what do you think?" My eyes snapped back to her face with a start.

"Uhhh…" I slurred, racking my brain to try and remember the last thing she had said.

"Spacing off as usual." Yoshino sighed and plopped the magazine down in my lap. "Honestly, I'm starting to think you're spending too much time with Shikaku."

"Sorry." I mumbled.

"Did he come and see you before he left?" She asked as she rifled through the basket of 'goodies' she had brought. Her word not mine.

"Yes. Apparently it's a big deal, Ino-Shika-Cho going out on a mission."

"They always think they're a big deal." She waved it off and with a huff, abandoned the search of whatever she had been looking for in the bag.

"Where are they going anyway?" I asked and picked up the magazine, pretending to read it. She eyed me suspiciously for a moment before smiling.

"I'm not really sure. You know they don't tell me anything anymore. We retired nin get shoved out of the loop early."

"Why _did_ you retire, Yoshino?" I asked suddenly. She cocked her head at me, and I could tell she was wondering why I was asking, but It just seemed very applicable in my life right now. What if Gaara chose to hate me forever? Would I find a husband to nag over, have a son to fawn over, a life to live after everything that had already happened? Suddenly, being able to work in the stupid Admin office seemed like the least of my worries.

"Well, there's no shame in it…as you know, Chuunins are supposed to be leaders, the bulk of the military force, but for a really long time, I didn't play well with others, as you can imagine." She picked at the fuzzies on my blanket while I tried to imagine her as a teenager: fighting battles, relishing the sweet taste of victory. For some reason, I could never see her in my mind without Shikaku off to the side, at the end of her short leash. "When I was twenty-two, and had shown no aspirations of taking the Jounin test or becoming an ANBU like my father wanted, I was assigned to a joint task force in Kirigakure. It was at a time when Jounin were scarce and we needed to team up to fight a common enemy, and trust me, between Kiri and us, it had to be one hell of an enemy to get us to cooperate."

"Who was it?" I asked eagerly.

"We were dispatched in teams of eight to different villages along of the border of Kiri, in the Land of Whirlpools. There was some spotty intel that suggested that they were harboring missing nin whose names were in the bingo book. One of which, the one we just so happened to run into, was Zabuza Momochi."

"Momochi…Momochi…why does that name sound familiar?" I scratched my head.

"Because Naruto's team defeated him on their very first mission. A punch right to the pride if you ask me!" She exclaimed.

"Oh! The dude with the teeth! Sakura told me about him." I remembered her telling us the story over homemade Sukiyaki while Hinata covered her eyes, and Ino rolled hers. Sakura had held a flashlight up under her chin to make herself look scary, but it only ended up turning her face the color of her hair and TenTen had laughed out loud. It was back when I wasn't a traitor. Back when Gaara was still nervous if he couldn't immediately find me, and Kankurou still treated me like I could break into a million pieces if he poked me wrong. Back when Baki knew exactly what he was doing and I was still only one person—

Still Daagana.

"Zabuza was known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist and was one of Kiri's Legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen. His skill in Kenjutsu was unparalleled, and we honestly didn't stand a chance."

"What's Kenjutsu?" I asked and she chuckled.

"See? This is what happens when you don't go to the academy."

"Hey, I taught—" I tried to remind her but she cut me off.

"Kenjutsu pertains to techniques that entail the use of swords, whether the users be Shinobi, or samurai. It can be used in combination with Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Fūinjutsu, and even Genjutsu in order to achieve more devastating techniques. It is regarded as a branch of Bukijutsu."

"Whats—"

"And before you even try to ask: Bukijutsu are techniques that entail the use of any handheld weapons in combat." I crossed my arms with a pout.

"I knew that."

"Sure you did." She patted my knee and smirked. "Sure you did."

"Well don't stop there!" I cried and batted away her hand. "Tell me what happens next!"

"Fine! Fine!" She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Back in the day, I was a lot like TenTen. I handled my weapons with ease, so when we came upon Zabuza, I was assigned to both short and long range offense. Of course it didn't make much difference once we started to fight. It didn't matter how many kunai I managed to throw at him, he was like the mist." Her eyes glazed over for a moment and I wondered if I really shouldn't have asked her, but she continued like she wasn't reminiscing. "We were in a squad of four Chuunin and four ANBU. One would have thought that surely four battle tested ANBU could have taken on one man, but he slaughtered them. The rumors about him were so absolutely true. He moved like he didn't have a body, like he was a ghost. No matter how many blades I plunged into him, they never hit him…" She broke off a moment and I wanted to say it was okay, that I didn't actually have to know, that I shouldn't have asked, but she started again without giving me the chance. "As the ANBU fell, the last on standing ordered us to retreat, regroup with another squad and head back to Konoha. But as we tried to run, more mercenary nin appeared and cut us off. We were surrounded and by that time, I think I was out of weapons."

"Yoshino…" I muttered. Even though I couldn't make out her lines, I knew they were sharp. Yoshino was the hardest, most intelligent woman I'd ever known, even more so than the drunk Hokage. So for her to tell me something like this…

"Oh don't start the water works." She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "This story has a happy ending. We were surrounded, but just when it seemed like all hope was lost, we were saved."

"Saved? Saved by who?" I asked.

"I bet you can guess." He leaned her cheek on her hand.

"Shikaku?" I managed, and this time, her smile was genuine.

"Yes, well it wasn't like he came on his own. Ino-Shika-Cho was just coming back from a trade mission to Yugakure before they were rerouted to our position. It was the first time we'd ever met, and he was so cool!" Stars popped in her eyes as she clasped her hands in front of her. I tried to hide my laughter as she continued. This was a side of Yoshino that she rarely let out. The girl that was still star struck by a young fumbling Shikaku. "As a trio they were more than enough to get rid of the mercenary nin and even battled Zabuza before he retreated. Thanks to them, we won the day. Thanks to them, we made it home."

"So, all in all, battling Zabuza Momochi made you retire? Or was it the glory of Ino-Shika-Cho that had you falling to your knees?" I giggled and she dead panned.

"No! I wasn't afraid of that shark toothed, pin stripe pedophile!"

"Pedophile?" I asked but she ignored me.

"After that mission, I started pursuing Shikaku full time, we got pregnant with Shikamaru and got married not long after."

"What! How long did you guys even date?" I cried.

"Date? Oh well, let's see…two maybe three months."

"But, but, Yoshino…the math…it doesn't—" My head spun as I tried to do the numbers. Right now, Yoshino was thirty-six, Shikamaru and I were 15 and she said she met Shikaku when she was twenty-two…

"Oh goodness, Gana, your head looks like it's about to pop right off!" She started to laugh as my face burned a bright red. "The Nara clan isn't exactly what you'd call traditional." Her laughter died down and she went from teasing me to staring at her hands in the blink of an eye. "When we met, Shikaku was promised to another woman, one he'd never met, but he broke off their engagement when we found out I was pregnant."

" _Yoshino_!" I cried.

"It might have been a bigger issue had the Nara's not been like they are."

"I thought all clans were supposed to be the same." I muttered. Azumi's voice echoed in my ears.

 _You were not born into the world of clans or hierarchy, therefore you do not understand. Bastards are in this world but they are not of it. This prejudice lies at the heart of any clan, the Arai are no different_.

"Most clans operate somewhere within the same capacity, but the Nara's are different. You should know that by now." She brushed a strand of hair out of my face, but I didn't meet her eyes.

"Azumi said I was a bastard, that I was a blemish on the face of clan history."

"Well she sounds like a bitter old woman, if you ask me." I didn't glance up, and she sighed.

"Daagana…I know I've said it a bunch of times already but, I'm sorry. I should have kept you from going when I had the chance."

"Tsunade said that I would have gone either way, no matter who tried to stop me."

"Now _there's_ a bitter old woman." She scooted my leg over and climbed into the bed with me. After some maneuvering she nestled me into the crook of her arm and started to stroke my head like Shikaku stroked his goatee. "I know that everything is really confusing right now, and it makes sense to speak the words of the people you revere, but you have to understand that even though they are in a position of authority, it doesn't mean they're infallible. The chauvinism within clans has been around since the dawn of time, so it's not really Azumi's fault that she thinks that way. It's unappealing and old-fashioned, but not her fault."

"Thought." I slurred.

"Huh?" She glanced down at my face but I buried it further.

"She _thought_ that way."

"Oh my Gana…" She squeezed me extra tight but it was the opposite of comforting. It was actually suffocating and I tried to think of anything to distract her from her consoling.

"What about Tsunade?" I mumbled into her shoulder.

"The Hokage has her own reasons for being upset. It's most likely the same reason as the three previous Kage's. The death of the entire Uchiha Clan was a huge blow to Konoha, and it's felt like a curse ever since. In her own way, I'm sure Tsunade-sama is just trying to protect the village from another tragedy."

"So I'm a tragedy now?" I moaned.

"No, Gana, that's not what I meant." She tried but I pushed up out of her warm embrace. It was suddenly freezing but I turned back to her.

"But it's true. I mean, I should at least face the facts, right? That's what Shikaku would do." She opened her mouth to protest, but at the mention of her husband she closed it. "Fact number one: I was cursed by my mother only to find out that I was immune to her curse."

"Well we never credited Giia with an overabundance of brains—"

"Fact number two: I ruined my relationship with my family because I just _had_ to go off in search of another one."

"No you didn't. Daagana—"

"Fact number three: I'm not Daagana, I'm really someone else entirely! I don't even know my real name! I can't even—"

" _Stop it_." Yoshino snapped. Her sheer viciousness stilled the room and my eyes grew wide. "Are you going to be in this pity party all night long? Because I have better things to do than sit here and listen to you whine about your life. The Daagana I know wouldn't carry on like this. The Daagana I know would already be out there trying to fix the things she broke, not hiding in her hospital room moping about how jagged the pieces are."

I stared hard at my hands as she hopped off the bed and collected her things. When I still didn't answer, she headed for the door with a huff. Just as she was about to leave, my voice made her pause.

"If you happen to find the Daagana you know out there…please tell her to come back."

* * *

Our departure from Konoha was one of the most silent I had ever experienced. It'd been days since I'd seen my Sand nin, none of them had come back once they fled and I was hoping the hours had cleared their heads or at least made them willing to speak to me…but it hadn't. Temari was muttering to Shikamaru when Hinata and I reached the main gate, and when she saw me she abruptly turned her back and headed for the forest beyond beyond the entrance. Gaara and Kankurou were standing next to the Jounin Check-In stand with Tsunade and Shikaku, and they watched their sister retreat with feigned interest. Hinata quietly grabbed my hand as we trudged the rest of the way to them. She wanted me to know that she was still here with me, the last person on my side…or was it that she was trying to keep me from tripping over something? She was the only one I had told about my eyes, and while I knew that Shikaku had figured it out, I wasn't sure if he had told anyone else or not.

Did he tell Tsunade? Did he tell Gaara?

When we were finally within the social circle, the silence was palpable, but Gaara was the only one whose spine was ramrod straight, everyone else at least met my eyes (or so I could tell). Kankurou even flashed me one of his lazy smiles and the relief that flooded my heart was profound. Maybe there was a chance to salvage this. Maybe Yoshino had been right.

"Lady Hinata, Gana." Shikaku sighed as his greeting broke the silence.

"Nara-sama, Tsunade-sama, Kazekage-sama, Kankurou-sama." Hinata bowed to each of them before glancing at me out of the corner of her eye, but I kept my gaze on the rusty red blotch that I assumed was the Kazekage.

"Gaara—"

"We're taking our leave. Thank the Hokage for her hospitality." The edge of that jagged broken piece sliced into my heart. Gaara turned his back to us and started the trek after his sister.

"Well this is just going to be so absolutely great." Kankurou groaned as he gave the Hokage a quick bow before reaching out and taking my elbow.

"Before you go," Tsunade stopped us before he could drag me away. I braced myself for another onslaught of her anger, but instead, I was close enough to make out her small smirk. "I'm sorry about the other day, Gana, I got a little carried away. When you're ready, come back and we can work on that Kekkei Genkai of yours."

"We have all your literature, Tsunade-sama. I think we can work the _Tsukuyomi_ out on our own." Kankurou huffed and pulled me away from her and the group, but I managed to glance back and catch her wave.

Tsunade was not talking about the _Tsukuyomi_. Tsunade was talking about my eyes. Either someone told her or she could just tell, but either way, she was offering me her help, and it reminded me of something very important: the door swings both ways. Just because someone storms out, doesn't mean they can't come back in.


	18. Had I Been Worth All His Searching

**_A/N: Just so everybody knows, Daagana's adventure is updated every Wednesday. I haven't missed one yet (and I'll try not to jinx myself here), so if you're waiting in suspense, beg for Hump Day to come!_**

 ** _Also, bless all of you for reviewing! I love you all! 3_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 18_**

Back before my life dramatically changed for the better, there were days that I felt that I couldn't make it through, things that I was sure I couldn't endure. I once thought that being raised by Giia was the worst thing I'd ever have to withstand…but I was wrong.

Jumping through the trees of the Fire Land forest, blind, was the hardest thing I've ever done. And worse still, no one cared to understand why I was so slow.

It was a triumph when my foot firmly connected with the wood of a limb, but only until the terror of the next possible miss sank in. My emotions ebbed like the ocean, terror at the trough, reprieve at the peaks when I hadn't fallen to my death, spiraling back down to fear at the next leap. It was almost nauseating. Our pace was unforgiving, and I wasn't sure what big rush Temari was in, but she soared far ahead of the rest of us. She left Shikamaru back in Konoha without so much as a goodbye, and I thought maybe she regretted it…or maybe she was just putting as much distance between us as possible. Gaara was next in line, speeding for second place but not so far ahead that I couldn't make out the blur of red against the green treetops. And finally, Kankurou was third and right in front of me. His typical black gear made him look like some sort of looming shadow that was about to consume Gaara whole if only he could catch up; a never ending chase of cat and mouse, all the way to the Land of Rivers.

I'd had a few minor slips, but nothing I couldn't play off, not that they would have noticed. We were making fairly good time and would be stopping to camp just past the border into River Country. Here the trees were smaller, and not as magnificent as the trees near Konoha. The branches were thinner and weaker, and after a full day of nauseating sprinting, so were my legs.

The moment my leg pushed off the branch to send me cascading through the trees, I knew I was going to fall. My jump had been smaller than the previous, which didn't send me as far as it was supposed to. I hadn't reached the arc I was meant to, nor the right angle, whatever…it didn't matter. I extended my leg in a panic but it was my biggest error because the extra surface area slowed me down even more. Instead of feet level, the branch I had picked to land on flew straight into my chest. My entire body jolted to a stop as inertia threw my arms and legs over the limb. It would have been comical had I been able to breathe. For a solitary moment, I hung there, wondering if my Sand nin would even look back to notice I had fallen to my death, but I couldn't tell as the bark of the tree sloughed off and any friction I had was gone.

Falling.

I could still remember the first time I ever flew. It might have been right here at this very spot. Konoha had asked for aid because Sasuke fled to Orochimaru, and we were sent to bring him back. That mission was the first time I had ever stepped foot outside the village. The desert landscape had always been my friend, my constant in a life without any, but I'd never had any longing to see what lay beyond. What I eventually found was awe-inspiring. My reaction was much like Hiniku's had been: jumping from one green thing to the other, freaking out and screaming for more at the same time. I didn't know there was this much green in the whole world. And the trees…

Kankurou had rapped his knuckles against the bark of a huge Oak tree like it was an old friend.

"Jo promised to make me a puppet out of one of these one day."

"A puppet!" I cried and he looked at me like I had lost my mind.

"Yeah? You know, puppets are made out of wood? And this is where wood comes from? Trees? Seriously, Gana?"

"No, I knew that! I did!" I paled and examined the tree again.

The wind blew against my face as I turned to look at the trees zooming past me as the ground came soaring up to meet me; Oak trees.

My back and the dirt met with an agonizing crack that vibrated all the way down to my heels. The resounding _thump_ could be heard in every direction, it had to, from how it was ringing in my ears. For half a second, I thought that maybe a firm smack to the back of the head would alleviate my blindness, but when I managed to peel my eyelids open, the canopy was splotchy as ever. There was a very small part of me that hoped my Sand nin hadn't noticed my epic fall from grace and that they would jump all the way to Suna without noting my absence. I mean, they were doing a hell of a job at it thus far, it wasn't a big stretch. At least that way, I could keep what tiny sliver of pride I had left. I would catch up a day late and pretend that I had just been tired, not that I had broken something.

But I didn't have such luck because I didn't have such siblings. There was a quiet _plop_ on the earth beside me that I felt in every one of my nerve endings, followed by the relatively clear face of Kankurou leaning over my dead body.

"Daagana, what in the hell?"

"I…slipped." I managed, my lungs protesting every syllable. His silly cat-ear hat tilted to the side as he looked up and around, surveying the extent of my fall.

"I don't see what you could have been blocked by. Did you get spooked by a squirrel or something?"

"No, I…couldn't…see it."

"Did you blink and forget to open your eyes? Come on, Gana." He reached down for me and grabbed my upper arm. I gulped in a sharp breath and whimpered. He immediately released me and leaned down much closer this time. "What is it? Are you actually hurt? Where?" His chubby fingers started to poke and prod my limbs until they jabbed my side and I reeled. "Crap, you really are hurt! Gaara—"

"No! Don't!" I held my side with one arm and snatched his arm with the other. A massive shudder racked my body as I started to pant with the strain.

Stop, stop, calm down. This was no big deal. I'd had much worse done to me and had still gone to work the next day. I just really didn't want Kankurou to call them back, I didn't want them to see me like this.

"Will you put your pride away already? You're hurt." He scowled at me but I squeezed his arm as hard as I could. He had to understand…

"Kankurou please, I don't—"

"What the hell happened?" Temari barked and materialized on a low branch above us. Gaara dropped down beside her but froze when he saw me prone in the grass. "Did that old hag not heal her all the way?" She snapped.

"No, she slipped." Kankurou called up to them, while trying to pry my fingers off his arm. Ugh, there was no helping it now. They were going to try and examine me and Gaara was going to notice my blindness.

"Klutz." Temari's voice was suddenly soft in my ear and I recoiled. As soft as the wind, she'd floated down to my side. For half a heartbeat, I prepared my poor ears for another brassy sermon, but was surprised when she slipped her cold hands under my shirt to feel my ribs. Her fingers were freezing, but it felt good against my blazing side. She wasn't meeting my gaze, but the line between her eyes wasn't one of anger as she pulled my shirt back down and sighed. "You cracked a few ribs."

"I'm sorry, Temari." I croaked as she helped me sit up. She was being so uncharacteristically quiet, and she just seemed so tired.

"We'll just have to camp here for the night, we were about to stop anyway." She helped Kankurou scoot me over to the base of a tree and un-shouldered their packs. Gaara stayed perched on his branch like an abstinent cat and I noticed Kankurou shooting him looks out of the corner of his eye. "We should start a fire while we still have some light. If you go get some wood, I'll start on dinner."

"Oh, Temari, let me help. Dinner is my job—" I tried to push myself up to help, but her glare froze me in my place.

"Just sit there and be quiet." She hissed and went back to furiously digging around in her backpack. She looked exactly like Yoshino had while she was searching for a magazine in her goodie bag.

Of course.

I grunted as I settled back like I was told. They weren't actually looking for anything in their packs, they just needed to do something with their hands so they wouldn't be swallowed up by the silence. When I thought about it a little more, it made sense. Tsunade had done it as well, just by readjusting her hair and coat every few minutes; something, anything to focus on rather than all the things that weren't being said.

Kankurou went off to find some firewood while Temari dug a small hole for a fire pit, Gaara leaned back and presumably went to sleep, the tails of his cloak hanging down like curtains. They framed the sinking sun like a window and I stared at it. You could go blind from staring at the sun, right?

"So what was it?"

"Huh?" I whipped my head around and searched through the cloudy landscape for her.

"Are you going to tell me why you really fell or do I have to guess?" Temari didn't bother to look up from her task, her hands half buried in murky dirt. It turned the end of her arms black and she looked like some sort of half demon.

"I fell because I slipped." I whispered, and at the same time she stabbed the ground viciously with the kunai she'd been using.

"That's bullshit and you know it! Don't think you can lie to me, Daagana."

"You're really going to claim to know me after ignoring me for a week?" I snapped back.

"You're probably right since the Daagana I know wouldn't have done what you did!"

"For the love of Kami, will everyone stop talking about 'the Daagana they know'?" I yelled and she blinked. "If it hasn't been made painfully clear to you already, 'the Daagana you knew' is gone! She has left he building! She has been replaced, effective immediately!" Using the tree for support, I hefted myself to my feet and stomped off into the forest before either of them could comment.

* * *

Temari twisted around to look at her brother; her face a mess of shock and uncontrollable pity. Gaara sat up on his tree branch and stared at the gap between the trees that Daagana had fled through.

"Did you see what I saw?" She whispered. In the same instant, both siblings disappeared in a flash, and half a second later, a very confused Kankurou stood staring at the freshly dug fire pit.

"Uhh, guys?"

They found her stumbling around the woods in an angry stampede. Temari perched herself high up on a limb where she assumed Daagana couldn't see, Gaara was a few trees over, angled steeply over his branch, staring.

Gana looked like she was drunk almost, lurching in and around trees, tripping over roots and rocks. There was no rhyme or reason to her path; she was just _going_. The siblings tracked her easily from their treetop level, shooting each other troubled glances as they jumped deeper and deeper into the woods.

At one point, Daagana walked right into a big developing bush. " _Arg_! You stupid…fu—hedge! You're a hedge!" She screamed as she tried to untangle herself from its branches, cutting and scraping herself in the process. She looked positively medieval. Temari looked back up at Gaara, pleading him with her eyes. She wanted to go down there now, she wanted to hug her and apologize and beg Gana to tell her what was wrong. Because something was horribly wrong! But she couldn't go until Gaara did. He looked like he was frozen in place, but his joints bent easily as he hopped to another limb to follow his girlfriend. She couldn't use her voice, or risk giving away their position, so Temari snapped off a small twig and threw it at him. It plopped him right in the shoulder. He looked at it, and then up at her and grimaced.

'Please! Let's go to her! Something's wrong!'

'I know, but I need to find out what.' Gaara managed to raise his eyebrows slightly, and Temari deadpanned at his attempt at nonverbal communication. In an act to show his resolve, Gaara stretched out his hand towards Daagana and sand from the earth began to slowly, silently lift around her.

She didn't notice.

Particles of dirt followed her like a cloud as she continued to rummage around in her anger…but she never made a move to swat them away, or search for their source. The siblings continued to follow her from above, Gaara's hand always outstretched to her, adding more sand every few seconds. Soon it was like she was swimming in it. There was no way she couldn't see it! But Daagana just stopped, rubbed her eyes and continued on, a little more dejected than before. Her anger was waning, and Temari's anxiety was growing.

Before Gaara could stop her with his eyebrows, Temari jumped down behind Daagana. The girl didn't notice, or maybe she couldn't see through the cloud of sand.

"Gana…"

* * *

I whirled at the sound of her voice. It was barely audible, and I couldn't find her no matter which way I looked. My vision was so muddy! I kept rubbing and rubbing my eyes, but the blur wouldn't go away. It was much worse than before and I didn't want to admit that it might have been getting worse the whole time.

"Daagana." Frantically, I turned my back to her voice and hugged myself, squeezing my eyes shut, hoping she thought I was ignoring her…and not that I couldn't find her. Her hand on my shoulder was like a lifeline—and anchor in the world, and when I opened my eyes to look back at her, I could make her out. The muddy blur was gone. I mean it still wasn't great, but it didn't have that weird haze of tan that washed everything out in the coming night.

"Did you find the Daagana you knew?" I forced my voice into a snicker and gently pulled away from her, my salvation.

"You are the same Daagana. Look, I don't know what happened in Taki—"

"That's because you came in guns blazing and never gave me a chance to explain." I snapped for real. Her screams from the hospital were still echoing in my head, along with the terror in her eyes. I hadn't noticed it then, but she'd been close enough or me to see how her fear reflected in my own.

"Then explain! I'm here now, I'm willing to listen. Tell me what's got you so worked up." Her hands were out and open, a sign of good faith, of openness. In a sigh of defeat, I threw myself at the nearest darkest column of color and sank to the ground. Even I knew that Temari wasn't actually mad at me, she was just afraid of what might have happened, what could have happened. She'd been in Konoha for the whole Isao event so she was truly in the dark. I figured that Kankurou and Gaara had filled her in at least, but she was still looking to me for answers; answers to question she didn't have to ask.

"When I left for Taki, it was under orders."

" _What_?" She cried and I winced.

"Baki ordered me to go. I wanted to leave a note for Gaara and explain what was happening, but Baki told me he would tell you guys everything. I'm not trying to blame him…I'm just saying that I didn't think it would end like this."

"But Gana," She came forward and sank to her knees in front of me, "How could you—"

"I did it for the village, but…I wanted to go too. I could have refused the order, I could have laughed in his face for telling me to go against my Kage, but I didn't. I ordered Yuki to follow me and went anyway." I added and she stayed silent. I waged through an internal struggle about whether or not I should tell her everything, but when I looked up and saw the smudge of red among the dark leaves, I figured that now was the last chance I had.

"I know it's not exactly the same but…you guys knew both of your parents, as messed up as they were. You knew exactly what kind of people they were: your mom, your dad. I only grew up with Giia, a mother who had no business being a mother, but it wasn't like I missed all those children who had wonderful, loving parents, children who had _fathers_." I paused and covered my face with my hands, partly to hide my eyes, and partly to shield myself from her gaze. "I used to dream about him when I was little, about how he may have died, because he had to be dead. No way the man I imagined was alive and allowing me to live in that hell. He was so perfect in my head, he hung the moon! So when Isao told me…" I choked up a bit as tears started to squeeze out of my tightly shut eyes. "When Isao told me that I had been right this whole time, and that Azumamaru had been looking for me, I couldn't stop myself. At first I was afraid, what if I met him and I wasn't what he wanted in a daughter? What if he was perfect and _I_ was the one who wasn't good enough? But that didn't matter in the end…because he never found me. I never got to prove to him that I was worth all his searching."

Tears cascaded down my cheeks as Temari grabbed my shoulders and crushed me in her hug. She squeezed me as tight as she could, but I wasn't sure even she could keep all my pieces together with just her brute strength. I gripped the back of her battle yukata and sobbed the rest of the story into her shoulder. "They only found me after he died, after his younger brother took over the clan. My father wanted me to lead his people, to save them from the wrath of his jealous little brother, but in the end I just managed to screw it all up. I killed his guards and beat him to a pulp. I took their lives and they named me their clan leader! But I was so sick of what I'd done that I did what Tsunade told me to and abdicated my claim. Yuki was still mad at me though, and then Shibuki told me about the Dark Release and took me to Azumi…She died because of me. I killed her too."

"Shh, shh. No you didn't."

"Yes I did! I reached for her! I tried, but I couldn't let go of—"

"Daagana," Temari pushed me back just a little so she could look into my eyes. Her face was inches away from my own and it was the first time in days that I could make something out in detail. She had bags under her eyes and they were puffy and red. "You did not kill that woman."

"No," I whimpered, "You don't understand."

"I do. I was there." Her statement stopped me cold and my eyes widened. She sighed like she realized something before pulling away from me, her face blurring the further away she got. "We came for you, Gana. Did you think we wouldn't? You're our family and you were gone. We were worried. Of course we came for you. When we got to Taki, Yuki was at his wits end. You were trapped behind an impenetrable shield and we were scared that we wouldn't get to you before the chakra ate you alive. You weren't responsible for Azumi's death. You would have died too if Gaara's sand hadn't been so strong."

At the sound of his name, Gaara finally dropped down beside us. Quietly, Temari scooted back to make room for him, and his face was suddenly the only thing in my vision. A fresh spring of tears started to fall as my fingers hovered to his face without my consent. There was nothing I could do as my hands swept over his cheeks and under them bloomed a blush.

"I couldn't let go of you." I hiccupped. His head tilted to the side in confusion.

"What?"

"Azumi died because I refused to let go of you." For a moment, I didn't think he was going to say anything or stop me from touching him but after a pause, he tilted his head into my hand and covered it with his own.

"Daagana…tell me something." He said into my hand.

"Anything." I whispered.

"How are you so blind?"


	19. Homecoming

**_Chapter 19_**

I blinked.

My heart thudded in my chest. He was so close that I could make him out perfectly, but it didn't erase the fact that Temari was a blonde and purple blur in the background.

"Wha-wha-what—" I tried my hardest to calm my breathing enough to assure him that I was perfectly capable, that he didn't need to send me away, but…

"I know that sometimes I may forget the meaning of family, but you usually don't. If you wanted to do this, you should have included us. We love you as one of our own, and it hurt us that you went in search of something better."

"It wasn't in search of something _better_ , it was just in search of the truth!" I cried.

"Still," He shook his head, "you aren't usually this blind."

Every time he said it, it threw me for a loop, but I realized now that he wasn't talking about my eyes, he was talking about my pride. I'd had the means to include them, but I didn't want to get in their way, I didn't want to involve them in my problems. But that's not how families worked, I learned. Families were supposed to be there for each other, personal problems or not.

"Just promise me you'll never do it again." Gaara sighed and pulled away from my hand.

"I promise." I swore and he seemed to deflate a little.

* * *

Once they finally deemed everything alright and headed back for camp, Temari grabbed Gaara's elbow and kept him back a bit as Kankurou eyed them worriedly, and built up a highly controversial fire in the pit she had dug. The sun was set and they really shouldn't be giving away their position with a fire, but Temari was past caring. Daagana didn't notice the siblings slink away and it made Temari angry. Gaara looked down at her hand gripping his arm and then back up at her questioningly.

"Why didn't you say anything?" She hissed.

"I did."

"No, you syntaxed it away. Something is wrong—"

"I know that." Gaara glared and she hushed. "But whatever it is, she is still trying to hide it from us. I want to know why."

"Gaara, this is feeling a lot like the last time—"

"I don't want to hear about last time. Things are different now." Her brother snatched his arm away from her grip and joined his girlfriend at the fire.

"Are they though?" She asked the darkness.

Gaara settled himself down beside Daagana who immediately nestled into the crook of his arm. It was like the spot was made for her; every curve the inverse of the other. They fit together perfectly, like the elements of a yin-yang. Temari stared at their backs for a few moments before begrudgingly joined them at the fire.

Kankurou was sitting back, munching on something his pack had produced like nothing in the world could bother him…but he was very bothered indeed. His big sister was sulking in a pile of nerves beside his little brother who was dutifully holding on to Daagana for dear life, while his adoptive sister was staring at the fire like it was an enigma. He wanted to know where they had been when he got back with the wood, and why his siblings had slunk off when they got back. He wondered if it had anything to do with Daagana's slip, or the curious expression on her face. He groaned at the prospect that everything was about to change because of this little adventure. Nothing could split up Gaara and Gana, but something like this could definitely put a strain on not only their relationship, but the general political landscape as well. They'd known that going in but…it's a bit harder to face the consequences after the fact, and unfortunately, Kankurou had never quite learned the lesson that Heros weren't blemish free.

Gaara stared at the fire unflinchingly, to keep himself from staring at her. She looked, smelled, and acted like the same Daagana, but everything about her now felt foreign. Was this the product of discovering that you had a different name, that you had a completely different identity in a different place in the world? He wondered if she felt torn, if she had the desire could she switch between the two people she suddenly was? Did any of it even make sense? No, not really…but maybe that was why she was staring at the fire as intently as he was, because she didn't know whose eyes she was looking through.

The realization floored him for a stunned second. She had done wrong, yes, and she would be punished in a manner fitting of her insubordination, but Daagana would accept that. It was this other symptom that he recognized he needed to be worried about: this dissonance in her identity. Maybe it was because he'd had to personally deal with something like this himself, that he hailed his brother.

"Kankurou." Gaara said suddenly and everyone jumped at the sudden intrusion on the silence.

"'sup?"

"I'd like you to send a message ahead to inform Suna of our success. Temari, the field kit?" Obediently, Temari rummaged through her pack until she produced a small brown satchel. At the same time, Kankurou dug around in his own bag and held up a tan and red scroll. Temari tossed the kit to Gaara who tore it open and pulled out a compact brush, paper, and ink to attach to the puppet bird that suddenly appeared from Kankurou's marked scroll.

"Kami, that thing is ugly." Temari snorted. It was true, the fowl was a splotch of red, yellow, and blue with an almond shaped head and wings shaped like feathery hands. But it chirped happily as Gaara scribbled on the note and folded it without letting Daagana see what he wrote. He passed the slip to Kankurou who held it out to the bird. For a moment it cocked its head and stared at the paper before opening its awkwardly large mouth and swallowing the note out of his hand. Kankurou noted Daagana's horrified expression and laughed.

"It's more secure inside the bird than it is outside. Since I have to drive and he can't navigate like a normal bird, if anyone tries to tamper with him, he immediately implodes."

"That sounds a bit…" She started and then trailed off.

"Yeah, I know. Iwa comes up with some weird shit." He laughed.

"Iwa?" Gaara blinked. "This isn't a Suna design?"

"Hell no! Does this look like any bird you've ever seen in the dunes?"

"I don't pay attention to fauna." Kankurou sighed and scratched his head.

"You should really study up on desert birds, Gaara."

* * *

Gaara carried me the rest of the way home. It was a bit poetic I suppose, but also a huge relief that I didn't have to try and jump my way blind. I offered to walk once we hit the desert but he refused to let me down, the sand from his gourd swirling around us like it was upset I was taking it's spot. When we made camp the next night in the desert, most of the tension had been ebbed away by tiredness. Temari dropped to the ground like a rock and made herself a sand angel before nodding off without dinner. Kankurou grumbled relentlessly about having the put the tent up by himself, especially since Gaara didn't offer any help. I just giggled quietly to myself. Once the tent was situated, Gaara took up his mantel on the dune above us to sit out the long night. Usually I'd let him stew for an hour or two before going up to fall asleep on him, but tonight I wasn't entirely sure if I should or not. Kankurou was leaned up against the tent pole, rubbing his temples with one hand.

"Do you have a headache?" I asked as I sat beside him.

"No," he gave a weak chuckle and peaked at me from under his hand. "This is just a Jutsu I hate using."

"About that." I said as I stared at his twitching fingers. "I thought puppet jutsus had a limited range."

"The normal ones do, but this is a special technique. It was designed exactly for this purpose. Iwa enabled the bird to detect strings even from miles away, so I can control it al the way to Suna."

"How will you know when it gets there?"

"Anyone who recognizes my bird will cut the strings and I'll know it reached its destination."

"That all just sounds risky." I shrugged.

"Yeah but aren't you the queen of risk now-a-days?" I groaned out loud and he chuckled.

"You were the only person who didn't scream or yell at me."

"That doesn't mean I wasn't upset," He shivered, and I quickly grabbed a blanket and draped it around his shoulders. "Just means that I saw everyone else punishing you and it looked like you needed someone on your side."

"You're always on my side…" I sighed.

"And always will be." He patted my head like a child. "Don't worry, this bump in the road will pass."

* * *

When the walls of Sunagakure rose up over the dunes, I couldn't help but choke up at the sight. The only way I could differentiate the two was because the walls crippled the horizon, and were just a shade darker than the rest of the desert. It saddened me that I couldn't see the home I'd fought so hard to get back to, but I also probably would have gone weak in the knees had I not already been carried. I was finally home. How long had it been? One week? Two? Was Etsu beside herself with worry? Was Hiniku about to kill me in my sleep? Had anyone been feeding Beju? Was my mother's grave dirty from neglect?

I kicked my feet on either side of Gaara like a child who couldn't be calmed. I needed to be there already! It wasn't enough that I was on the horizon! I needed to be in my city, smelling the familiar odors of rice flour, dust and life. I wanted to sleep in my own bed, and hug my Ojiisan. These were all the things I had fought to hard to come back to, things that made me Daagana. Maybe it was these things that would remind me of myself, of who I was supposed to be. Being in Taki and Konoha almost turned me into _her_ , into Azreah, but here, she wouldn't survive. Here, only Daagana could flourish. Someone so pampered and clean, Azreah wouldn't do well in the harsh desert that I called home.

I would show them.

I would show _her_.

This was my home, and I _was_ Daagana.

…

Cut to my sulking. Blue lines of depression wafted off of me like the steam from the noodle cooker across the Ramen Bar. Yep, I sure was Daagana, and she was in a hell of a lot more trouble than I realized. When we arrived at the gates of my beloved home, there was a line of people waiting to greet us. Half of the council to greet their Kage, the security captain on duty to brief Kankurou on what he missed while he was away, a diplomatic attaché who hurried Temari away to debrief her on Konoha's station, and lastly, Hiniku, who stood in front of a small unit of corrective officers. She spared me a secret glance before turning to Gaara.

"Sir, we received your summons, and are here per your request." She sounded so formal, regal almost, and Gaara's eyebrow twitched.

What the hell was Hiniku doing with the corrective unit?

And then it hit me—

Hiniku must have passed the Chuunin exams!

I took a step towards her but her brow furrowed dangerously.

 _Not right now._ I knew that face.

Gaara nodded to the council members who were hogging his space and finally turned to me.

"Daagana."

"Yes…sir?" I tacked on the formality just because of how ridged this all felt.

"Submit yourself for disciplinary action." His words hit me like a punch in the gut.

" _What_?" I managed and hysterically looked to anyone else for the punch line, but Kankurou had disappeared with the security captain, Temari was already gone, and the council members just snickered at me like they couldn't be bothered. I reeled back to Gaara but he had his Kage face on, and I could tell her was absolutely serious.

"Any insubordination must be dealt with, no matter by whom." His tone was steely.

"Insubord—but I left under orders!" I whimpered.

"And the issuer of those orders is being dealt with as well."

"Oh no…Baki." I grimaced.

"Come on, Gana." Hiniku came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't make this an even bigger issue than it is." Obediently, I allowed her to steer me into the village, away from the leering gaze of the council members, or the heavy eyes of my Kage.

"Be grateful that Gaara allowed me to be your _Saibankan_." Hiniku hissed in my ear as she navigated us through the streets of Suna.

"My _judge_?" I whispered back. "Why the hell do I need a judge?"

"Because you broke the law, Daagana." She snapped and then backed away. A group of four Shinobi I had never met tailed us relentlessly until we reached a building I did know—the prison. I stalled a little as Hiniku tried to push me in, but her eyes told me that I needed to follow orders…or else.

I'd only ever seen the prison from the outside. It wasn't a place that you met up for lunch, and it certainly was never a stop on my route as Gaara's messenger. It was the type of place that people went the long way around to avoid. Mother's would tell their children to never walk down that street, or little boys would tease each other to see who could touch the door after dark without peeing their pants. So when Hiniku shoved me through those horrifying oak doors, into the darkness beyond, I thought _I_ was about to pee my pants.

"Stop resisting, Gana, or they're gonna make me beat you." Hiniku grunted as she shoved at my back again.

"Why am I in the prison!" I wailed as the doors shut behind me with a boom.

* * *

I sighed dramatically again as my face squished against the rough surface of the bar. My breath blew away two abandoned chopsticks only for them to come rolling back to my lips.

"Good lord, you are such a drama queen." Hiniku nagged as she picked up a tray of dirty ramen bowls. "I told you we only had to take you there to process you."

"Only _after_ I peed myself." I grumbled and swooshed the chopsticks again.

"Well it serves your right for running off without me." She stashed away the dirty bowls and took up the seat beside me at the bar. "I was really worried about you. When I heard that you had actually gone with the Merchant, I felt a little…well, hurt."

"I wasn't trying to—"

"I know that." She interrupted me by slamming her hand down on the chopsticks as they were rolling back to me. I bristled. "I'm just saying that next time you decide to do something that _stupid_ , come to me first. I can talk you out of anything." She smiled at me just like she always did before she got up, taking the chopsticks with her.

There goes my only entertainment.

Tsunade's face blinked into my head and I sighed again, garnering another sour look. Hiniku wouldn't have been able to stop my anyway…no one could have.


	20. The Literal Facepalm

**_A/N: Hey! We have come to the end of the first arc! At this point I am going to to take a brief break so I won't have to keep playing catch up and I can give you guys good chapters as opposed to the last one. Don't freak out, it won't be a year, maybe like a week? Just sit tight and we will get to the next big adventure soon!_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 20_**

Suspended.

That was what I was. According to Hiniku it was probably the least possible sentence I could have been given, and she told me to thank my lucky stars that I was Gaara's girlfriend. Apparently they've killed for less. But that didn't mean I was any less cross about it. It wasn't like I thought of myself as the exception…or maybe I did. It wasn't that I thought I wouldn't be punished for breaking the rules, but that I just hadn't thought about it at all. Baki said go, so I went.

And poor Baki. Not only was he suspended from active duty, he lost gravitas points with the council, which pretty much meant he wasn't as trust worthy anymore. We had passed each other in the hall of the admin building when I went to have my clearance revoked. His gaze was steady and he held himself tall, a man who didn't regret his decision, and I bowed my head to him.

Other things had changed since I left as well. Team Hiniku passed the Chuunin exams per Gaara's recognition and were allowed to pick their new duty assignments. Kanman had chosen to remain a field ninja and was on the roster to take out-of-village missions. Apparently Sho had been snatched up by Kankurou and joined the Security forces. Hiniku mentioned that he was pretty crappy at the puppet jutsu my brother had tried to teach him, but he was advanced in all the other areas. Sho had a knack for multiple nature transformations and was running Kankurou ragged, learning the techniques as fast as Kankurou could teach them. And Hiniku herself had taken up the position with the Corrective Unit, which was why she had been the one to take me to jail.

I banged my head on the bar and groaned.

"She gonna rub the resin right off!" I heard Etsu chide my Ojiisan. She was probably shaking a noodle basket at him, angrily signaling him to come and snap me out of it. He took a step towards me but Hiniku was there in a blonde flash, warding them off. I was like one big walking biohazard that she kept hidden from the world.

She called it tough love, I called it isolation.

Hiniku had manage to keep me to herself for two weeks straight. I was forcibly moved back into her house, not allowed to see my Sand nin or Beju, all missions were suspended, I wasn't even allowed to accept a D-rank gardening assignment, and worst of all, there was no end in sight. Two months! I would have to put up with this for two months! I wasn't even allowed to work at the Ramen bar, but since Hiniku did, I had to sit on this stool every day and watch her pound dough with mediocre proficiency.

I rested my head on my arms and watched her shoulders tense and relax as she folded the batter over on itself. Lazily I eyed the clock and felt every tick of the second hand in time with the rush of my blood. And finally, I couldn't stand it.

"You over-kneaded it like 5 minutes ago." Her head whipped around with a sharp glare before smacking the dough just once more to make a point. "Hiniku, I have to ask you something." I managed to get out before I lost my nerve. She cocked her head to the side and left the batter to rest a moment to sit beside me.

"What's up, buttercup?" She asked cheerily, like I wasn't under house arrest thanks to her.

"Did you join the Corrective Corps because you knew it was the only way to help me?"

"That would be a good selling point, wouldn't it? But no, for once in my life I didn't do it for you. It was just that, I saw the need to protect my people, not out in the field, or on the walls. I wanted to be in the streets putting away people who would tarnish our name. Suna is a huge place. I mean, just the other day, Old Man Yato's house was broken into—"

"Yato-jiisan! Is he okay? Was anything stolen? Was he hurt?"

"Apparently he caught the thieves in the act and as they were running away they shoved him. He fell and broke his hip."

"Broke his hip! _Kami_ , Hiniku! Have you even checked on him?" I cried and was out of the bar before she could stop me.

Even with the messy abstract of browns and tans, I knew exactly where to turn as I dashed through the streets. Old Man Yato was one of my regular D-rank mission assignments and had become a close friend. Long ago, he was a revered Shinobi, but old age and disease had nearly crippled him. Still, he tended a small garden on the roof of his house that he enjoyed letting me water for him. He had taught me much about desert flora, and it was thanks to him that my own herbs in the canyon were doing so well.

In the beginning, I didn't understand how anything could survive in the harsh direct sunlight of the desert, but Yato showed me the hardiness of their spindles and the sheer genius in their petals. He'd said, the plants of the desert are much like the people, tough but able, fearsome but beautiful. How or why anyone would have broken into his home was beyond me, but just past the fork in the road I spied his bright red door and pulled myself to a stop. It looked just like I remembered it: bright, freshly painted and utterly distracting. It was almost like a neighborhood landmark. Oh you're trying to get to the market? Just one street past the red door. The academy field? Go to the red door and take two rights, you can't miss it.

I knocked once…no response.

I knocked again…

"Yato-jiisan? It's me, Daagana. I was just coming to check on you, I heard about the incident—" The door swung easily and the sudden smogginess of the dark stalled me for a moment, but once my eyes adjusted, my knees went weak. " _Yato_!"

I threw myself to the ground at his side as he lay motionless in the middle of his living space. His tan clothes were scrunched and dirty, and his cane of Joshua wood was still clutched in his hand. The skin of his arm was cold as I grabbed it and felt frantically for his pulse. Nothing. The antique rugs that littered his floor were a distracting kaleidoscope of color, and covered with broken pieces of pottery. His house was trashed.

"No!" I cried. Hysterically, I slammed both of my hands onto his chest, over his heart and focused my chakra into the healing embraces of medical jutsu.

It started to work, and just for a moment I thought everything was going to be fine…if I could just heal him of whatever ailed him. I couldn't see anything other than his general outline, but I was fairly sure he wasn't bleeding or impaled. Therefore he must have just been knocked out, right? He couldn't die, he wouldn't. This old man had survived a great war! There was no way I was going to let a broken hip take him from me!—

Suddenly, amidst the green glow of my hands, a lightning bolt of _black_ shot out from between them, grazing over my hairline and spiking through the ceiling. My scalp sizzled and I cried out, flinching, the smell of burnt hair singing my nostrils. An inch or two more forward and I would have been staked through the brain…but immediately after, my hands went right back to his heart. I squeezed my eyes closed and took a few steadying breaths.

Kami, only knows what happened there. In retrospect, it _was_ the first time I'd used my _black_ since I blew up the Tsukuyomi. Blood trickled down my forehead and dripped onto my hands from the tip of my nose. It was fine, everything is fine…I took another breath and opened my eyes again to see if any of the color had returned to Yato's face—

There was nothing. No sight. No light, no color, no lines, no swatches or blotches or splatters of hue. There was nothing but black!

The sound that erupted from my chest could not have been of this earth. It sounded like the siren song of a mummified monster as my fingers flew to my face, abandoning their healing efforts. Nails scraped against my cheeks and poked into my eyes, but there was nothing. No amount of jabbing or prodding could bring any color into this black nightmare. I screamed again and threw my face down onto Yato's chest, squeezing my eyes shut and then opening them again, just to see if the first time had been a fluke.

"No! No! No! It wasn't this bad! It can't be this bad!" I chanted, all the while, failing to recognize the lack of heartbeat in my old friend.

"Daagana!" Hiniku's voice shattered through my hysteria as I felt her roughly grab my shoulder. "What happened?" My first reaction would have been to look up at her and throw myself in her judgment free arms, but terror seized me. If I looked up now, she would know that I couldn't see her. If I looked up now, there was nothing I could do to protect myself or my status from being stripped from me. I was already suspended, if she told them I was incapable too…Instead, I pulled myself back away from her grasp and kept my eyes firmly shut.

"I-I don't know. I wanted to check on him but I found him like this. I can't find a pulse." I managed to hide the tremor in my voice as I tried to find Yato's neck and press my fingers to it.

* * *

Hiniku had known Daagana for nearly five years, and in those five years she could count on one hand the times that Daagana had tried and failed to lie to her. This incident just so happened to start a new hand.

Per her orders from Gaara, she wasn't supposed to let Gana out of her sight, but they were both getting Cabin Fever and they knew it. So what if she wanted to check on Yato? Hiniku had done it as well, the old man was very close to them. He'd once given Hiniku a senbon he'd whittled from his Joshua tree on his roof and she kept it on her at all times. She figured it was fate telling her that at some time in her life, this little splinter was going to be important.

She'd been walking after Gana slowly, relieved that she could use this as an excuse to not knead anymore dough but when she the _crack_ and the scream that followed, Hiniku went running. But what she found was far from what she thought she would ever see: Daagana, face bloody, over the body of Old Man Yato, whose skin was already tinged with blue and foam seeping through his lips. Gana was panting and screaming and crying, tearing at her face with such hysteria that it froze Hiniku in place. What the hell had happened to her friend in Taki that she was suddenly this crazy? Hiniku's instincts were the only thing that thrust her forward and into the situation. Of course Daagana couldn't find a pulse. From the looks of it, Yato had been dead for at least a day, maybe two. But this homicide was not what was horrifying, it was the fact that Daagana was crying—not blood, not tears—but _black_.

The two girls sat on either side of the corpse, one pretending that nothing was wrong and the other, seriously afraid to ask….so she demanded.

"Open your eyes, Daagana." Hiniku ordered.

"W-what?" Her friend squeaked and tried to move away, but Hiniku reached forward and snatched her hand from over the dead body. It was a bit poignant how neither of them seemed to care at the moment that there _was_ a dead body in the room, but there were much more important matters at hand.

"Open. Your. Eyes."

"No! Hiniku, you don't understand! We need to help Yato—"

"Right now, dammit!" She could hear the fear in her own voice, but it didn't matter. Gaara had said something about this. About the licks of hell that sprouted from her eyes while she was in the _Tsukuyomi_. Hiniku hadn't really understood any of the actual science behind it when Kankurou tried to explain the alternate dimension, but she knew for a fact that Kekkei Genkai or no, Daagana wasn't in it right now, she was here in their world. So why the hell—

Gana's eyes snapped open. Hiniku reeled back in surprise as the black steak of tears on her friend's face highlighted the depths of nothing in her eye sockets. It wasn't that her eyes were black, it was that they were gone. Like they had been plucked out by some demon and now were being used to frame a glimpse into hell.

Like she could sense Hiniku's horror, Daagana let out a wail and jumped to her feet. She made a dash for the door as an escape but…ran into the wall beside it instead. Hiniku paled and her revulsion waned a bit as Daagana crumpled to the ground, unconscious, having knocked herself out.

There was an odd moment of quiet as Hiniku stared from one dead body to one unconscious one, not entirely sure what to do. This may or may not have been what Gaara warned her about, but how was a girl to know when he was so cryptic! She still needed to figure out what that resounding _crack_ was right before her scream, but before that, she needed to run this up the chain, or there would be hell to pay. With a sigh to regain her composure, Hiniku whipped out a scroll and made a hand seal over it to activate her location beacon. In a few moments this place would be swarming with Correction Corps, but for now she could at least take Daagana outside and get her cleaned up.

* * *

When I awoke, I wasn't entirely sure I was awake. I felt my eyes open but no visuals came upon me. No scratchy bed sheets, no sandstone ceiling, no sunset through the massive window to the left that all together told me I was in the hospital...again. Practically the story of my life at the moment. But the terror that had gripped me before didn't come as potent as it did now. Instead I was more depressed than I was scared. I patted around the bed if only to confirm I wasn't at home in the mansion or at Ojiisan's house. I'd once read in one of Hiniku's books that people who were blind had heightened senses in other areas, but I just felt like a dumb, lame newborn who couldn't figure out how to untangle herself from these darn scratchy sheets! I did eventually manage to unravel myself though, and I threw my legs over the side of the bed. The ground under my bare feet was a lot warmer than I was expecting. Konoha's hospital had been strictly antiseptic and cold, but in Suna, of course the hospital would be warm, would be comfortable. Moving forward one big toe at a time, I inched my way over to the big window. The glass that separated the sunset and me was warm as well and I rested my forehead against it. A sharp pain in my face made me draw back and touch my nose. It was covered in tape with a plastic splint running up the middle.

Ah, yes. I broke my nose running face first into a wall.

Classic Daagana.

Everyone must know by now. There couldn't be any hiding it after that shameful display. I was going to be stuck up here forever, like a princess locked away in her tower. If Gaara ever did forgive me, he was never going to let me leave the mansion again, let alone the village. My monthly trips to Konoha? Gone. Our weekly training sessions in the desert? Done. Playing fetch with my dog! Incapable. I bumped my face against the glass again with a groan.

If only I hadn't gone to Taki, none of this would have happened. If only I had followed orders like a good little Shinobi. If only Azumi hasn't died! If only Isao hadn't have come. If only things could go back to the way they were. If only I was—

"Daagana." I whipped myself around so quickly that I nearly lost my balance.

"Whose there?" I demanded and squeezed my eyes closed. Uhh, duh. Stupid question. I could place that gruff tone in a sea of voices. From across the room I heard a scuffle, like a chair scraping on the stone and then a few footsteps coming towards where I was standing.

I truly wanted to be through with this pitiful emotional nonsense, but I felt my eyes brim with tears once again, and I was just angry about it.

"Tell me." He said and I balled my hands into fists.

"When I woke up in Konoha, everything was blurry. I though it would get better and it was the least of my worries, but it never did. And then when I tried to heal Yato-jiisan, it went away completely. I don't know how it happened and I don't know how to fix it." My critical assessment surprised even me and it only served to piss me off even more.

"Then will you allow me?" I jolted at his boldness. Gaara was never this outright. He was the guy that would stop in front of a Taiyaki booth and stand there awkwardly until I ordered him a pastry. He was the guy that tried desperately to communicate via eyebrow movements even though his face never changed. He was the guy who taught his students through actions and not lectures. He was not this, he was not bold. So I stared at him—err, well I directed my eyes at the general area from which his voice came.

I'll go ahead and point out the futility of this now.

"Allow you to what? Fix it? You think you can fix this?" I shook my head in disbelief and I imagined how his face looked.

"My job is to save you, no matter what. And that is what I will do."

"And how exactly are you going to manage that?" I scoffed.

"Any way possible."


End file.
